arcane-beautiful Death metal I thought was dying. So many silly sub genres coming from it, tech death, deathcore, screamo, scream core, gump core...all that shit. The basics of death metal were fading away. It was always the older bands, like Deicide, Carcass, Death, Napalm Death, Cainnibal Corpse, which made me go "this is death metal" as I listened to their music and embraced their cold embrace. It's very rare when a new death metal band comes out and really intrigues me. This is one of those bands.

I literally had never heard of these guys until this album came along. From reading magazines like Metal Hammer and Total Guitar, I saw that this album was getting alot of positive feedback, which to be honest, in today's metal climate, isnt the easiest thing to do. I saw this album in my local HMV, so I thought, "meh, whats the worst that could happen". And this album is an example of a risk that brings forth only the greatest positives.

I think the reason why I like this band, and love this album so much is because "THEIR IS ACTUAL SONGS ON IT." The one thing that annoys me about modern death metal is that the actual art of songwriting seems to be gone. It justs seems to be a big penis envy competition to see how heavy a band could get, yet most bands lack the actual depth to write songs. Luckily these guys can actually do that.

In their last album I reviewed "The Concealers" (2009), I was pondering why these guys are considered a "prog" death band, and now I can kind of see why, especially with this album. These guys are able to craft quite complicated and intricate songs without them being too lengthy, too disfragmented and to the point. These guys are able to do that, and also they can make each song as unique as possible, which is a very hard thing for bands to do these days.

The sound these guys make is pretty epic. The album is produced incredibly well, in fact, if your looking for an example of a wee produced album, this is it. The album was produced by James Murphy, who you may remember from such bands as DEATH! and OBITUARY! (classic death metal bands), and he even does a guitar solo on the album. The album was also on Roadrunner...and I do admit, they may not handle bands too well, but when it comes to producing an album, they'll make sure it sounds as perfect as it should be.

Musically, it really is a marvel. It takes the death metal sound, adds the proggy edges, adds a heap load of darkness and gloom, and cuts it down to such a easily listenable album (well it's death metal...it's not exactly Simply Red). Their is also alot of experimentation within the album, like industrial influences, electronica and prog influences. Other than that, its an extreme metal fest. The songs themselves are some of the catchiest and most kick ass death metal songs I have heard in a very long time.

The vocals are also the best death metal vocals I have heard in a long time. Why Sean Farber left the band I'll never know, but whatever he;s doing now, and if he's in a band...I want to find out what he's up too. Lyrically the album is really interesting, dealing with existentionalism topics and some really dark and interesting philosphies. Overall, the lyrics add a dark and dank skin over this egg of absolute murky epicness.

1. Subterfuge - Great start to the album. Such an amazing song, with a killer chorus. The wists and turns really add to the atmosphere of the song. 10/10

2. From The Blind - Has quite a Carcass vibe to it. Love the instrumental section in the middle. How Sean dictates his vocals really is an amazing triumph. 10/10

3. Comsuc Forge - Love the use of keyboards in this song. The odd dark melodic chorus is really killer. A dark dank mother of a song. 10/10

4. Sightless - Has such a killer riff in the song. The chorus is pretty cool too. The vocals as usual are amazing. Their is also a pretty cool Alien like music video to this song. 10/10

5. Under A Somber Sign - One of the most melodic songs on the album. Still incredibly dark and breathtaking. 10/10

6. Ovum - My favourite song on the album. Jesus I love this song so much. The vocals give me chills every time I hear it. Such an amazing chorus. If you haven't heard this song, please listen to it, it really is an underlooked death metal classic. 10/10

7. Festival Mass Soulform - Great chorus. Such a dark epic song. Love the lyrics too. 10/10

8. Above Lucium - Some incredibly heavy riffs in this song. A very heavy mother of a song. Great arrangement. This also has one of the best chorus' on the album. 10/10

9. Who Will Take The Blame? - Love the use of electronics and keyboards on this song. Grea diverse vocals. Their is also a pretty cool guitar solo from James Murphy (DEATH METALLLLL) - 10/10

10. War Born (Tri-adverserenade) - Such a fast, brutal and quick song. It's gone in the blink of an eye, and you really will end up missing it. 9/10

11. Dead On The Dance Floor - I love how this song, which you may think is a dance song, turns into an epic death metal song. The 2 styles are mixed incredibly well and don't really feel forced. The lyrics are funny too. Great chorus as well. 10/10

12. Blessed Through Misery - Love the raspy vocals. A very doomy and gloomy song. 7/10

13. The Hinderers - Love the intro to this song. Such an epic way to end the album. Great use of atmosphere and the ending with the timpani and keys really adds to the epic feel of the song. 9/10

CONCLUSION: This album reminds me of another album released around the same time this album was release, which is Scar Symmetry's Pitch Black Progress. It came from nowhere, I got it as a dare, and now the album has become one of my all time favourites. This is probabbly one of the best death metal albums released in a long time and really is one of the best metal albums to really blow me away and stay in my memory for such a long time. I really suggest you listen to this album, because it really is bringing back great death metal. I LOVE THIS ALBUM.

9.2/10

arcane-beautiful When bands loose members, it usually means that a band has to either try and maintain whatever the band did before, or change to suit their new blood. This album see's a big change from their earlier line up, as their vocalist and keyboardist left. Now with the keyboardist, they just decided to continue on without one, which is a shame because I really loved how keyboards was used in their previous album. Now a new vocalist for a band can really make a big change, because really, the vocalist is the voice of the band. Now I did prefer Sean Farber as a vocalist, but the new vocalist isn't too bad. In fact their a certain aspects of his voice in which I prefer, especially his delivery, which is really impressive. The band also saw a change in record companies from Roadrunner to Century Media, and I'm glad that they did this, cause Roadrunner have seem to really have been dicking with bands in the past.

Now due to a slight change in sound, the band really had to embrace what they can and could not do. Now this album is more compactiable than their other releases, which can either be a good or bad thing, and to me this a good thing. People may have seen their previous album as a bit overbearing, this one is more compactable.

Now talking about the sound of the album, the best way I can put these guys is accessible death metal. It's not too extreme throughout, it's melodic at times and it still maintains the death metal elements, but has its own uniqueness which makes it really easily listenable to any death metal fan.

Now I did say that this is accesible, but even then, this album is pretty indulgent too. The album starts off with your standard death metal songs, but as the album progresses, the songs get more expiermental, with alot of difference in arrangements, sounds and songs, yet it's still pulled off to be seen as very accesible.

The only negative aspects of the album is that the songs dont sound as fillfilled as their earlier stuff. This may be due to the loss of keyboards, but even the production is pretty standard, and isnt too over the top, which really made the last album stand out more.

1. Sharpen The Blades - Great way to start the album. Great catchy hook. You'll be humming this for a whilst I bet. 9/10

2. Self-Corruption Mainfesto - Another great chorus (don't worry, this album is full of these). Nice Lamb Of God like grooves throughout the song. 8/10

3. The Worthless - I remember this was the first song I had heard from this album, and it kind of suprised me, cause I wasn't even aware they had a new album coming out. So really this song was a test of vocalists. And after this song, Sean Z. had passed the test. This is one epic song. Really killer intro, with some great riffs and vocals throughout the song. Best song on the album. 10/10

4. The Unbinding Truth - Great instrumental parts, mainly due to the fact that the instrumental sections are the main focus on the song. Interesting arrangement, making it one of their most diverse songs. 9/10

5. Silenced - Love the blast beats in the intro. Pretty cool main riff. Nice vocals. Great chorus too. 8/10

6. Wilting On The Vine - One of the most diverse songs on the album. Great vocals and a really killer chorus. Some great guitar work too. 10/10

7. Translucent Potency - Nice expanded intro, which reminds me of an epic Enslaved song. One of the most extreme songs on the album, with a nice odd arrangement. 9/10

8. Day Of Endless Light - Another quite extreme moment on the album. Nice chorus and some pretty cool riffs too. 7/10

9. Duststorm - Nice evil techno interlude. 7/10

10. ...Of Posioned Shadows - Nice evil eerie techno carnival intro. I like the dancey rhythms in the song, which shows a great mixture of styles. Nice expanded outro. 8/10

11. Incestuous Amplification - Great fast paced outro. Impressive vocals. A great ending to the album. 9/10

CONCLUSION: All in all, this is a pretty strong release. I don't think it's as good as their previous album, but to be honest, it is different, which I like. These guys have a new album out now, and I can't wait to hear it, cause this has made me excited again for the future of this band.

7.2/10

Conor Fynes 'Dååth' - Dååth (7/10)

Although many bands choose to self-title their debut and then proceed to use more particular names for following efforts, American metal act Dååth has waited six years since their first album to make this statement. For those who haven't heard this band, their sound seems to rest within some amalgamation of extreme metal sub-genres. Throughout the course of their music, the spectrum seems to be covered, ranging from the brutality of death metal, to the speed of thrash, with noticeable portions of metalcore and industrial metal thrown in to create a brand of metal that's difficult to place under any single label. As a newcomer to the music of this band, I am aware of the stigma and criticism the band seems to have acquired from previous work, for being apparently too 'mainstream' and 'weak.' If any of this criticism is indeed merited for earlier work, then Dååth seems to have created an album that will hopefully challenge the preconceptions of listeners who think them unworthy.

At times progressive, other times subtle, and generally interesting throughout it's course, 'Dååth' is an album that runs virtually seamlessly from one track to the next- especially during the stronger first half- that gives the impression of this album being a cohesive work, as opposed to a mere collection of songs. Opening with the ambitiously titled 'Genocidal Maniac,' the album very quickly goes to show the band's marriage of technical ability and melodic sensibility. After an atmospheric introduction led by the guitar leads of Emil Werstler, the music sporadically breaks into a tight rhythm section, now dominated by the metalcore-derived vocals of Sean Zatorsky, a growler who shows some strong signs in parts during the album, but whose rasp doesn't work well for every section he takes part in.

The second track 'Destruction/Restoration' kicks in without any pause, making it possible for a listener not to even realize the track has changed. The heavy, technical music is interspersed throughout the album with a few sparse mellow sections, which while rare on 'Dååth,' contribute a great deal. 'Indestructible Overdose' for example, opens with a little electronic, classically baroque leaning introduction before being starkly contrasted with the metal. Later on in the track, all heaviness abates to make way for a pleasant acoustic interlude. While the dynamic starts to wane during the second half, it is these little details in the music that makes it all the better.

In general, the album sadly begins to start loosing the great sense of flow and composition by the time 'Exit Plan' rolls around. With this track, I can see why the band might get criticism; the chorus in particular reeks of pseudo-brutality, as if the band is trying too hard to sound 'hardcore.' Making ample use of the 'chug-chug' guitar work, and largely ineffective (and therefore unnecessary) use of profanities, the straightforward and somewhat lackluster nature of this track does contrast the intelligent and complex sound that other songs on 'Dååth' seem to have aspired to.

With that being said, 'Dååth' is a very promising album by this American band, but it is inconsistent; a mixed bag of the excellent and mediocre. This self-titled work will no doubt however, serve to have a few haters questioning their beliefs while listening to some of the better work on this album. Personally, this has been a positive introduction to this band, and I will go on to explore the rest of Dååth's catalogue in the months to come.