After reading the interview Scott Alisoglu conducted with this Michigan melodic death metal act, I decided to check out the band’s second, aquatic themed album. After all they are on the fine Bombworks Records and guitarist Briant Daniel was in Summer Dying, one of the US’s most underrated and criminally unsigned melodic death metal acts of the early part of the decade.

So what we have here is 11 tracks (at a slightly over long 52-minutes) of top notch Americanized melodic death metal. That’s to say not only does it cull from the expected Gothenburg legacy, but has the more stateside injections of thrash and shreddage, so there’s a crossover appeal for fans of In Flames as well as the likes of Woe of Tyrants, Skeletonwitch and such.

And while everything (including the artwork) is generally incredibly well done and tastefully produced, with an ample selection of riffs, solos and dual vocals (gruff death metal growls and high pitched shrieks), the effort lacks that extra special something to take it to the next level. That one of two riffs and tracks that command your attention and elevate the album. Sure, each track is well crafted and excellently played and produced at Random Awesome Studio (For Today, See You Next Tuesday), and the you can feel and hear the effort and skill drip from each track, but I’m never totally blown away. Each track is just a solid, galloping but still gruff example of the genre; “To the Drums We Rise”, the high octane “Full Speed Ahead”, melodic “Into the North”, and the closing “Ocean Metal”, complete with 3 Inches of Blood/Halford wails, all deliver the goods for anyone wanting high quality modern metal.

Personally, Bombworks’ other recent release by A Hill to Die Upon is much better, but this is still a very, very solid release that should be a portent of much better things to come.

[Visit the band's website]

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