. .  
.
.
.         . .
.
... Home | Reviews
SEARCH 
.
.   .
.
Home
Reviews
Latest Reviews

Prong's X - No Absolutes

Rabid Flesh Eaters - Reign of Terror

Coffins/Isla Split

Haken - Affinity

Be'lakor - Vessels

Valdur - Pathetic Scum

Messa - Belfry

Die Choking - III

Sailing to Nowhere - To The Unknown

Black Anvil Interview

Six Feet Under - Graveyard IV The Number of the Priest

Destroyer 666 - Wildfire

Onslaught - Live at the Slaughterhouse

Rotten Sound - Abuse To Suffer

Venomous Concept - Kick Me Silly: VC III

The Great Discord - Duende

Arcana 13 - Danza Macabra

Die Choking - II

Obsidian Kingdom - A Year With No Summer

Thy Catafalque - Sgurr

Denner Shermann - Masters of Evil

Assault - Exceptions of the Rebellions Review

by Matt Hensch

.

There's a bit of a soft spot somewhere in my unhallowed coal of a heart that warmly welcomes melodic death metal for a brief yet controlled period of time. Bands like Scar Symmetry et al. can occasionally make stuff that's fun and appealing in its own little right, and I had the pleasure of serendipitously discovering a small squad budding in the mysterious landmass of Singapore called Assault. Their debut EP, "Exceptions of the Rebellions," is at the very least a consistent, punching release that accurately represents a good chunk of what melodic death metal is supposed to be, although there happens to be a few rough patches coiling in the machine. Overall though, the four-song effort strikes quickly and stays in its relaxed position, an accurate snapshot of the confident and dashing gentlemen running this nifty Assault group.

I'm not really familiar with most of melodic death metal's harbingers excluding the legends and some personal favorites, but Assault, at least in my own eyes, uses the highly melodic riffs and melodies frequently depicted in melodic death metal; that's pretty much the core essence of the EP. It might sound a little stale because they're doing what's been done before, but they make themselves known here. There are clusters of quirky, accustomed riffs, melodies and solos that are quite listenable and even impressive at times, and the vocals are powerful yelps of war-filled growls. Assault's prime picture is the songwriting, which transcends beyond verse-chorus blueprints or milking a dull riff for minutes on end; instead, there's a sturdy balance of rhythms and sections which strike both devotedly and hard.

It should be noted that the songs, although substantial enough to justify their existences, are still quite juvenile. I often times thought the group would explode into a speedy beating or totally dip the melodic tenure into a pit of aggression, but that's not really what happens. They mainly just lightly coast in whatever scheme presents itself, and although it's not a problem, it leaves a lot of open space. A little extra spice would not have hurt "Exceptions of the Rebellions." The biggest pitfall of the release is its inability to truly provide something completely dynamic or perplexing, but the EP thankfully gallops through its four chapters with no trouble after addressing my little complaint. While not the best piece of melodic death metal available, "Exceptions of the Rebellions" causes an adequate dent in its scene, but not the nuclear devastation it had the potential to make.

Assault - Exceptions of the Rebellions

Rating:7.0

tell a friend about this review

.


...end



Thrash Worthy Link



.
.
antiMUSIC - iconoFAN - Rocknworld - Day in Rock - Rock Search - thrashPIT - iconoSTORE
.
Thrashpit is presented by Rocknworld.com - Part of the antiMusic Network

Tell a Friend about this page - Contact Us - Privacy - Link to us

Copyright© 1998 - 2007 Iconoclast Entertainment Group
All rights reserved.
No Part of this site may be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form.
Please click here for legal restrictions and terms of use applicable to this site.
Use of this site signifies your agreement to the terms of use. Updated 12-19-99