Year of Desolation Self-Titled
Prosthetic Records 6561910041-2 January 23rd, 2007
By Jason Jordan
When a band calls Indiana home, its already got hurdles to climb. With a state best known for car racing, and cornstalks as its stomping grounds, Year of Desolation is one of those bands that just has to let their music do the talking for them.
Yes, when Im not working on my Indy 500 racecar, harvesting corn, and practicing basketball in hopes of acquiring a position with I.U., even though Ive graduated college already, I listen to metal. But aside from the activities that are associated with my home state, Indianapolis has been an outlet for many a metal band.
Year of Desolation plays a promising blend of death metal, metalcore, and neo-thrash, and the fact that YoD call Prosthetic their home will only work in their favor as the labels output predominantly ranges from mid (The Acacia Strain, Cannae, Through the Eyes of the Dead, etc.) to high-grade (Beneath the Massacre, Gojira, Kylesa, Yakuza, etc.). While Self-Titled is a solid sophomore effort, it also falls closer to the mid-grade as opposed to the superior alternative. The opening number Elitist Death Squad sets the tone and flings said genres at the listener with little regard for his/her well-being. In other words, its pretty brutal, though the follow-up Running the Gauntlet is more melodic. Suffer Thy Nemesis is even more so, and generally I prefer Year of Desolation when theyre at their heaviest, which, considering the amount of songs and the discs overall length, is more often than one might think. The Economy of Excess simply crushes the background leads are an excellent touch as does Forged in the Flames of Malcontent, and its tough to avoid being roused when growls of Ill break your fucking neck sound off repeatedly at the end of Gorge. At 70 minutes, this is a long record, too, despite the silence between closer All in Vain and the secret track.
Year of Desolation arent required listening, of course theres nothing spectacular here but a release like this starts the, uh, year off right for Prosthetic. If youre waiting for something truly crippling, however, then it may be in your best interest to continue biding time until Beneath the Massacre unleash Mechanics of Dysfunction. Otherwise, feel free to sample my fellow Hoosiers work.
Official Year of Desolation Website
Official Prosthetic Records Website
Prosthetic Records 6561910041-2 January 23rd, 2007
By Jason Jordan
When a band calls Indiana home, its already got hurdles to climb. With a state best known for car racing, and cornstalks as its stomping grounds, Year of Desolation is one of those bands that just has to let their music do the talking for them.
Yes, when Im not working on my Indy 500 racecar, harvesting corn, and practicing basketball in hopes of acquiring a position with I.U., even though Ive graduated college already, I listen to metal. But aside from the activities that are associated with my home state, Indianapolis has been an outlet for many a metal band.
Year of Desolation plays a promising blend of death metal, metalcore, and neo-thrash, and the fact that YoD call Prosthetic their home will only work in their favor as the labels output predominantly ranges from mid (The Acacia Strain, Cannae, Through the Eyes of the Dead, etc.) to high-grade (Beneath the Massacre, Gojira, Kylesa, Yakuza, etc.). While Self-Titled is a solid sophomore effort, it also falls closer to the mid-grade as opposed to the superior alternative. The opening number Elitist Death Squad sets the tone and flings said genres at the listener with little regard for his/her well-being. In other words, its pretty brutal, though the follow-up Running the Gauntlet is more melodic. Suffer Thy Nemesis is even more so, and generally I prefer Year of Desolation when theyre at their heaviest, which, considering the amount of songs and the discs overall length, is more often than one might think. The Economy of Excess simply crushes the background leads are an excellent touch as does Forged in the Flames of Malcontent, and its tough to avoid being roused when growls of Ill break your fucking neck sound off repeatedly at the end of Gorge. At 70 minutes, this is a long record, too, despite the silence between closer All in Vain and the secret track.
Year of Desolation arent required listening, of course theres nothing spectacular here but a release like this starts the, uh, year off right for Prosthetic. If youre waiting for something truly crippling, however, then it may be in your best interest to continue biding time until Beneath the Massacre unleash Mechanics of Dysfunction. Otherwise, feel free to sample my fellow Hoosiers work.
Official Year of Desolation Website
Official Prosthetic Records Website
