Arsis is a two man melodic death metal band who create a bigger sound then most of their contemporaries could even hope to attain. Not since slaughter of the soul, has a there been a melodic death metal release this original. It's fast, technical, and fucking brutal without sacrificing melody and without wanking around in major key flights of fancy or excessive solo's. Jim Malone absolutely shreds on the guitar, his bass lines are too the point, and his vocals aren't bad either. Mike VanDyne, is one of the craziest mofo's I've heard behind the trap ever. He has the aggression of Kevin Talley and the precision of Gene Hoglan. If nothing else buy this record for the drumming.
The lyrics, though trite, have all the qualities one would come to expect from a death metal record without making the song seem more epic then it really is. They are screamed out in an almost black metal growl, that brings to mind bands like satyricon. It's nice to hear a change from the typical cookie monster growls of the genre.
Sadly, the record is not perfect. It suffers from a production that doesn't quite fit their style in my opinion. It was produced in hit and run studios, the same studio that produced the latest misery index album and it shows. It has an almost grindcore mix, so sadly many of the complex melodies are often hard to hear behind the ever present double bass kicks and rhythm guitar. It doesn't damage the record too badly however, and a new listener will STILL be blown away but for those of us who have heard the bands demos, this may be a bit annoying.
I don't think there's a bad track on the album, but stand-outs include elegant and perverse, worship depraved, dust and guilt, and the awesome maddening disdain.
Overall, I think this is bound to be the one of the most essential death metal releases of the decade, despite its quirks. And the best part was it was only 10 bucks! That's WITH shipping. My advice-buy it...NOW!
The lyrics, though trite, have all the qualities one would come to expect from a death metal record without making the song seem more epic then it really is. They are screamed out in an almost black metal growl, that brings to mind bands like satyricon. It's nice to hear a change from the typical cookie monster growls of the genre.
Sadly, the record is not perfect. It suffers from a production that doesn't quite fit their style in my opinion. It was produced in hit and run studios, the same studio that produced the latest misery index album and it shows. It has an almost grindcore mix, so sadly many of the complex melodies are often hard to hear behind the ever present double bass kicks and rhythm guitar. It doesn't damage the record too badly however, and a new listener will STILL be blown away but for those of us who have heard the bands demos, this may be a bit annoying.
I don't think there's a bad track on the album, but stand-outs include elegant and perverse, worship depraved, dust and guilt, and the awesome maddening disdain.
Overall, I think this is bound to be the one of the most essential death metal releases of the decade, despite its quirks. And the best part was it was only 10 bucks! That's WITH shipping. My advice-buy it...NOW!
