Arsis A Celebration Of Guilt
Willowtip Records WT-028 2004
By Nathan Pearce
Melodic death metal has pretty much become a fad that has come on gone, and the only reason for this is the fact that bands are simply becoming lazy. Alas! Willowtip Records has yet another answer for a dying art. Arsis is a melodic death metal band that harkens back to the aggressive sounds of Slaughter Of The Soul, while combing the blackened thrash attack of modern Immortal.
Dont get me wrong, though. A Celebration Of Guilt isnt just a rehashing of ideas from the mid to late 90s. Arsis is able to back up their melodic, blackened, death/thrash with amazing songwriting. In fact, Id call A Celebration Of Guilt some of the best songwriting in the melodic death metal genre since the mighty At The Gates were at their prime. Furthermore, if the blackened variety of melodic death metal is your thing (think Dissection), Arsis straddles the line brilliantly. Just black enough to add a much needed coldness to the music, but death metal enough to not limit themselves to a life of being compared to how grim or necro they are or arent.
A Celebration Of Guilt is both melodic and aggressive, both black metal and death metal, and neither stale nor rehashed. For fans of blackened thrash, melodic death metal, and technical metal, I think Arsis might just be your new savior. As far as Im concerned, very few fans of any style of metal will have problems with this one.
9/10
Arsis Official Website
Willowtip Records Official Website
Willowtip Records WT-028 2004
By Nathan Pearce
Melodic death metal has pretty much become a fad that has come on gone, and the only reason for this is the fact that bands are simply becoming lazy. Alas! Willowtip Records has yet another answer for a dying art. Arsis is a melodic death metal band that harkens back to the aggressive sounds of Slaughter Of The Soul, while combing the blackened thrash attack of modern Immortal.
Dont get me wrong, though. A Celebration Of Guilt isnt just a rehashing of ideas from the mid to late 90s. Arsis is able to back up their melodic, blackened, death/thrash with amazing songwriting. In fact, Id call A Celebration Of Guilt some of the best songwriting in the melodic death metal genre since the mighty At The Gates were at their prime. Furthermore, if the blackened variety of melodic death metal is your thing (think Dissection), Arsis straddles the line brilliantly. Just black enough to add a much needed coldness to the music, but death metal enough to not limit themselves to a life of being compared to how grim or necro they are or arent.
A Celebration Of Guilt is both melodic and aggressive, both black metal and death metal, and neither stale nor rehashed. For fans of blackened thrash, melodic death metal, and technical metal, I think Arsis might just be your new savior. As far as Im concerned, very few fans of any style of metal will have problems with this one.
9/10
Arsis Official Website
Willowtip Records Official Website
