Well hell, this one came out of nowhere.  From the ever-popular djent style, to melodic death metal, to nu-metal, this one is all over the damn board.  And you know what, it’s also one of the most unique, and fun, albums I have listened to in a while.

The first three tracks feature a djenty, thrash-tinged Killswitch Engage style, showcasing some nice down-tuned guitar heaviness mixed in with some harsh and clean vocals.  Track five, “Time Lapse”, takes a total right turn into nu-metal (or what I call radio metal) style.  It’s entirely clean vocals, and sounds like something All That Remains would do before they decided to completely turn into the wussiest band in metal history.

The remaining 8 tracks pull mainly from the above templates, and I must say it’s an enjoyable listen all around.  The clean vocal parts, courtesy of Peter Tuthill, are a welcome change of pace.  He never really dips into full on death growls, but the music on the whole doesn’t really call for it, preferring to go with the thrashy snarl vocal style most of the time.  The band notes point out that they feature THREE eight-string guitarists, so that can definitely take credit for a lot of the heaviness that is present throughout most of the whole album.  Janne Jaloman handles the drum duties, and pulls off some phenomenal stop-start action, a la the one and only Fear Factory, and some wicked fills and tempo changes; which come to think of it this album even has a touch of some industrial metal to it as well.

This is actually the band’s third LP, with an EP before this one which seems to have caused quite a buzz.  After an output as strong as this one, they are definitely a band to keep an eye out for if you’re looking for something a bit different or you find your current metal choices getting a bit stale.

 

[Visit the band's website]

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