| With Arsis' follow up to their 2004 Willowtip debut, "United in Regret" stands as
no surprise, one of the years most highly anticipated technical death metal releases.
In this album, upon first listen it's blatantly obvious that the band's sound has
changed a little bit which of course brings up conflict within listeners. For those
of you that are wondering, yes Arsis have changed their sound to a more melodic sound
with slower riffs building together songs but still containing some thrashy speed that
was adored so much in their previous releases.
If you're strict on your metal and you you're not into much change then you should probably
stop reading this review right now because Arsis' "United in Regret" differs quite a bit from "A
Diamond For Disease" or "A Celebration of Guilt" because it's built greatly of slower riffing
glorified with over the counter solos that show more constructivity while still displaying the
crazy sound listeners enjoyed in the previous releases. Yes it is change and yes some may frown
upon it, but I still find "United in Regret" to be an enjoyable listen. This next line might ruin
this album for readers, but the fact is quite undeniable, Arsis' new effort sounds like Demiricous
on steroids. In listening to this release tracks such as "Oh the Humanity," "...And the Blind Once
Came," "United in Regret," and "I Speak Through Shadows" (Basically the first half of the album)
have really showed a great similarity between Arsis' new piece and Demiricous' "One". For listeners
that are wondering where the more chaotic sounding riffage went, hang in there because the second
half of the album offers something that'll (hopefully) bring up your hopes for the album. With tracks
such as "Lust Before The Maggots Conquest," "The Marriage Bed," and "The Cold Resistance" you
get the outlandish death metal feelings that "The Face of My Innocence," "Return," and "Elegant and
Perverse" instated with their 2004 release of "A Celebration of Guilt".
Now in listening to Arsis' new effort "United in Regret" I have a strong feeling that the good in
the album easily outweighs the bad, making the album a worthy buy and in my opinion just as strong of
a release as their previous efforts. But the slight change of sound is easily noted and could throw
listeners off a little bit. Overall best tracks on the album in my opinion (change or no change) were
"...And the Blind Once Came," "Lust Before the Maggots Conquest," "The Cold Resistance," and "The
Things You Said". These tracks stood out as perfect examples of Arsis' continuation of "A Celebration
of Guilt" and a new chapter in their career. As the band turns a new page and creates material that
is less thrashy and more melodic, you're going to get haters, but love this album or hate it, you
really can't argue with the fact that their guitar solos and drumming skills are still out of this
world and untouchable.
~ Drew
October 31 2006 |
