So Floridian black metal act Mindscar were around back in the early 00s with a few demos and such and back then, their guitarist/vocalist Richie Brown was the bassist for Trivium for a year, before Heafy and co got famous. But the band faded out of existence after a lone 2001 EP, However Brown reformed the band with in 2012 with original drummer Mike Radford and session bassist Jacob Belkerdid (for this recording, since replaced by Terran Fernandez).

And the reformation with the bands first full length album, Kill the King is largely successful. It’s a at times blistering black/death metal record with a innate tight Floridan/tech death metal influence mixed with blacker, searing Council of the Fallen/Order of Ennead tremolo blasts and melodic leads. It’s confident, well played, vicious and at times rather technical, and with just a few elements of experimentation here and there by way of some clean vocals (supplied by none other than Trivium’s Heafy, who also lends a lead to opener “Asmodeus”), some atmospherics and light keys.

The 39 minutes is tightly played, tightly produced and full of razor sharp, slicing, dicing riffs such as the attention grabbing opener, “Asmodeous” the title track, “God’ s Creation”, “Ashes Made Heaven”, furious “Beneath All the Broken Bones”  and “Forever Consume You”, all impressively blistering tracks. There’s even some more lumbering burly moments such as the pure Floridian lurch of “Descending Straight to Hell” and “Deathmask”, showing a more death metal based chug ‘ n’ churn. The vocals of Brown are an equal mix of blackish metal rasps and gruffer growls, but some might construe the vocals as more Trivium-ish and metal core-ish.

The album ends with a circus-y instrumental “Insatiate” and a furious, high octane cover of NIN’s .”Mr Self Destruct”. In all, a very impressive, promising debut that was 15 years in the making, and one that is even more impressive considering the self released nature. I hope the band continues to stick it out and deliver more albums, and don’t wait 15 years to do so.

[Visit the band's website]

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