Wretched has posted a new song, "Repeat... The End is Near" from their forthcoming album Son of Perdition (set to hit stores March 26th) on their Facebook account. The video, up on the Victory Records Youtube account, features guitarists Steven Funderburk and John Vail performing the track alongside tabs to the song.
What struck me most about this track is how different it sounds from their previous work. The guitar parts are reminiscent of other Wretched tracks pretty much only in tone. And the vocal parts are quite different from their last two albums (they did get a new vocalist, but I heard him live this summer and he performed their other songs just like previous vocalists). Beyond the Gate was released only a little over a year ago, so I was not expecting such a drastically different sound from Wretched. I'm very interested to hear what the rest of the album will be like now that I've heard this song. Check it out:
Allegaeon has posted a song from their forthcoming album, Formshifter, which is set to hit stores in the U.S. on May 8, 2012. The track is called "Tartessos: The Hidden Xenochryst" and it's streaming live on Metal Blade Records' Youtube channel. Check it out below:
I first heard about this band (via Allegaeon’s Facebook page) on the day this record was released. Anytime I hear about a new or “up and coming” technical death metal band I get very excited. Technical prowess is one of the biggest reasons I am drawn to death metal, and let me tell you, Vale of Pnath has no shortness of technical instrumentation in their compositions.
The Prodigal Empire is the first full length album by the Denver technical melodic death metal outfit. For those who have heard their 2009 EP, this record builds on the sound they created on that release and takes it to a whole new level.
Mental Crucifixion
(really cool riff around 4:49)
This is the best album I’ve had the pleasure of listening to so far this year. It has everything that one could want in a technical death metal record: intricate guitar work, melodic elements, a brutal drum attack, heavy bass to complement the mix, and a solid interchange between black and death metal vocals. Oh, and with lyrics inspired by the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Total Recall, what’s not to love?
"Start the reactor"
In my opinion, the pinnacle of the album is the last three tracks that close out The Prodigal Empire. “Time of Reckoning” begins with a marching guitar riff that continues without pause alongside the backbeat of the drums and bass. Eventually, towards the middle/end of the song, melody begins to cut through the mix. The last half of this song is truly beautiful and any fan of melodic death metal should love it.
“Sightless” is the most brutal of the last three tracks. I won’t even ramble on about it here. Just go listen to it for yourself (link below, of course).
Time of Recknoning
Sightless
Every so often I listen to the final song on a record and think to myself: “that was the best song they could have written to end this album”. “Cerulean Eclipse” is a perfect conclusion to The Prodigal Empire. It is an excellent representation of all the best elements of the album – especially in terms of technicality and melody. The riff that cuts in at roughly 35 seconds into the track is my favorite guitar part on the whole album. Everything that follows thereafter is mind-blowing as well. I dare you not to like this song.
Cerulean Eclipse
I strongly recommend The Prodigal Empire to any fan of death metal music (particularly those who like technical or melodic death metal). It is an absolutely brilliant record that has been in my regular listening rotation for weeks (and will probably remain there for many weeks to come). Vale of Pnath represents one of the brightest spots in American death metal today and I am excited to see what they’ll bring to the table in the future. Hopefully, they’ll go on tour soon and play their awesome brand of death metal all over the country. GO CHECK THEM OUT NOW!!
Final Rating: 10/10
MASTERPIECE
3 Favorite Songs from the Album: Mental Crucifixion, Time of Reckoning, Cerulean Eclipse
I never know what to expect any time a new In Flames release drops on the market. This band has altered their sound so many times over the course of their career, and not always for the better. So, needless to say I was skeptical of the new album, but I was still excited to hear some new In Flames songs.
In my opinion, In Flames’ new style of melodic death metal (if you want to call it that) reached its’ maturation on their last album, A Sense of Purpose (2008). It wasn’t the embodiment of the Gothenburg sound that In Flames’ helped to shape in the 1990s, but it was still a very good metal album. There were many memorable riffs and melodies (“The Mirror’s Truth”, “Sleepless Again”, “Alias”, etc) and it achieved a melodic sound without sacrificing an abrasive death metal attack.
Sounds of a Playground Fading is the tenth studio album by the Swedish death metal legends In Flames. It takes the sound that they formed on A Sense of Purpose (2008) in a slightly new direction. More work went into writing and producing the guitar parts and the vocals have been stripped down. It is a deliberate move towards a softer and less abrasive In Flames sound.
Sounds of a Playground Fading
This new release is essentially a weaker version of A Sense of Purpose. Most of the vocals are clean or only slightly distorted. The growling vocal style is completely absent on the record. Also, the guitar parts sound way over-produced and none of the riffs are all that memorable. The drums and bass are pretty run-of-the-mill as well and nothing really stands out.
"Ropes" is a track that sums up the style of music on Sounds of a Playground Fading. Overproduced guitar work is abound in this track alongside Anders Friden's clean vocals.
Ropes
The overall sound of the album has a more mainstream feel to it, though I don’t feel as though it was created as a deliberate move towards the mainstream. Newer In Flames fans who like Come Clarity or Soundtrack to Your Escape will probably be pleased with this release. Older In Flames fans who like The Jester’s Race and Whoracle will probably be disappointed. It’s definitely soft for an In Flames release, but if that’s what you’re into then by all means pick up the album. Ultimately though, I feel like there's nothing outstanding about this record. After listening to all the songs from Sounds of a Playground Fading, I’ve decided not to download it.
Final Rating: 6.5/10
3 Favorite Songs from the Album: Where the Dead Ships Dwell, Darker Times, A New Dawn
Genre: Melodic Death Metal Release Date: July 20, 2010
1. The Cleansing (4:30)
2. The Renewal (4:20)
3. Across the Folded Line (4:25)
4. The God Particle (5:24)
5. Biomech - Vals No. 666 (7:27)
6. From Seed to Throne (5:17)
7. Atrophy of Hippocrates (4:37)
8. Point of Disfigurement (4:03)
9. A Cosmic Question... (5:33)
10. Accelerated Evolution (8:09)
Melodic death metal has blossomed into an international phenomenon since the formative days of At the Gates, In Flames, and Dark Tranquillity. Those Swedish death metal legends paved the way for the development of the genre and their impact is still being felt today. It has been pleasing in recent years to follow the progress of the modern melodic death metal scene. Although there are still a large number of bands out there who are straight copycats of the Gothenburg Sound, a new collection of acts have emerged that have taken the genre in new directions and to new heights. Allegaeon is one of these bands that are bringing a new flavor to the genre.
Fragments of Form and Function is the first full length release by these Colorado inhabitants. It has a much more mature and developed sound musically than the tracks they released on their 2008 EP (which is still a good listen and can be downloaded for free for a limited time on their Facebook page). Allegaeon blends technical and melodic elements together beautifully to create an audio assault that should please any fan of heavy metal.
The first thing I noticed about the album is that, musically, it is VERY tight and clean. The guitar and drum parts are executed flawlessly and merge together to create intricate arrangements that complement each other. These guys definitely have chops, but more than that they construct awesome musical compositions. Technical instrumentation and melodies are fused together into a beautiful tapestry of death metal songs.
“The Cleansing” kicks off Fragments of Form and Function with a rapid musical assault dubbed over with Ezra Haynes’ guttural vocal attack. And the intensity builds with each song until a classical guitar break at the end of “Biomech – Vals. No 666”, which is the strongest track on the album.
The Cleansing
I’ve included links to several of their tracks and I’ll let the music speak for itself. If you’re a fan of melodic death metal, then you should be very pleased with Allegaeon and their first album. They are definitely a band to keep an eye on.
Biomech - Vals No. 666
Accelerated Evolution
Final Rating: 9/10
3 Favorite Songs from the Album: Across the Folded Line, Biomech – Vals No. 666, Accelerated Evolution
