Despite their 25th year anniversary and stable of veteran respected death metal acts (Bolt Thrower, Vader, Amon Amarth, Cannibal Corpse, Vomitory, Fleshcrawl, God Dethroned etc) it’s bands like Winter Solstice, Machinemade God, A Love Ends Suicide, Phoenix Mourning, Neaera, If Hope Dies, The Red Death and such that seem to garner Metal Blade (and their sub labels Ironclad and Black Market Activities) some bad reputation, as if the label is simply digging desperately and randomly for the next As I Lay Dying, and Ohio’s Forever In Terror is one such act.

Completely indistinguishable from such faceless acts listed above, Forever In Terror, while competent, deliver horrendously generic metalcore/melodic death metal. I suppose the band being mere kids could serve as an excuse for such a cookie cutter delivery, and the youthful energy the band deliver in their debut is undeniable, but musically, Restless in The Tides is as generic, clichéd and unoriginal as anything in a genre that thrives on clichés. Dual galloping melodies, stern breakdowns, acoustics, dramatic orchestral segues, scream growled vocals mixed with soaring (if strained) clean vocals basically comes across like the left over bits from As I Lay Dying’s lost recording early sessions.

That being said, if you sweat soupy, polished, and standard, uncreative metalcore, the slightly overdrawn Restless In The Tides might satiate you. Like I said, it’s competent and energetic and these kids have a firm grasp of the genres requirements. Heck, I even actually enjoyed the 8 minute, closing title track and it’s Dead Man In Reno-esque orchestral climax, but truth be told it’s the only track in the albums 54 minutes I can vaguely recall.

So on the whole, this gets a big Yaaaaaaaaaaaawn from me.

[Visit the band's website]

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