Reviewed by Greg Sammons

Some hard music followers have accused the band of lazily moving into the metalcore sub-genre that is all the rage at the moment with this album, yet for me they are well and truly still in hardcore territory - New York style I might add. Sure, their metal-influenced brand of hardcore does allow metal purists a look into a band that has and always will be attached to the hardcore scene, but that's as far as it goes. You only need to look at the lyrics and themes they deal with to see where they're at - coming to terms with the loss of camaraderie in the scene whilst fighting the temptations that befall them. There is a higher level of maturity shown here, musically, lyrically, vocally and spiritually. Production-wise, this is a great step-up from their last two releases, enlisting the help of Dean Baltulonis (Most Precious Blood, Sick Of It All). This is heavy and crunching stuff that makes you wanna get up and flail your arms and legs around like an idiot. Once you've calmed down a bit you may think that it's all been done before. But with cuts as finely executed as the title track and "Rise Of The Phoenix" who really cares?

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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