I had pretty low expectations for this release; Victory Records, the cliched moniker, and names like Emmure dropped in the Victory records press releases. However, this Parisian metal outfit surprised me with a pretty solid release of modern djent-y metal that has a lot more depth and style than many of their hardcore based peers and label mates.

With a djent/hardcore backbone, supplying plenty of angular, A Life Once Lost-ish moments , As They Burn also deliver some experimental synths and moody atmospheres that give material a bit of a Vildjharta vibe. Throw in some impressive, fluid song writing and deep growls (for some reason I’m reminded of Denmark’s Illdisposed on both counts) and you get a band and release that deserves a little more attention despite the initial black marks they carry and any sort of ‘core negativism.

The Emmure references are purely to cash in on that band’s unfathomable popularity (even if As They Burn has toured with Emmure) , because As They Burn have very little in common with Emmure, other than vocalist  Kevin Trevor occasionally veering into Frank Palmeri sneers/shouts once in a while. Musically, As They Burn is far more adept and mature. The rumbling lurching, double bass feeds the chunky, beefy riffs and again, the back ground synths aren’t hokey or piecemeal but add a real layer of  somber but sometimes epic ambiance to the proceedings as displayed on one of the standouts, “The Conscious Man”.

The riffs and themes tend to stay away from typical meat head grooves,lyrics and breakdowns, but contain a steady dose of heaving, staggering hefty moments with tracks like opener “Medicine 2.0”, “Dream Collapse”, the particularly heavy “Isis” and closer “Sons of Shiva” all rendering djent tropes laced with just a little dash of intellect and mood making for nice surprise from the Victory camp, though its doesn’t quite redeem the label from some its recent band choices and business decisions.

 

[Visit the band's website]

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