Reviewed by Greg Sammons

It's often said that most metalcore riffs are just rip-offs of what the big Scandinavian bands were doing 10 years prior. Common Yet Forbidden have taken a different tack, they're not metalcore but they sound like they actually hail from Gothenburg, yet they're in fact from sun-kissed Florida. Their thrashy, unrelenting pace hits you right from the word go and hardly lets go of you at any point on this 10-song slab of brutality. Vocalist Carl lists Agony Scene as one of his biggest influences and I'd say vocally he's about right. Musically, there is a dash of 'core' here and there but it rarely shies away from a full on metal onslaught, flirting between thrash and death. Lyrically, it's nice to see a band so refreshingly blatant in their faith; every song comes from an overtly Christian standpoint - leaving no place for second guessing. As the album moves on from the first few songs, you can tell they're trying to expand their sound - allowing them to be more creative and move away from cookie-cutter metal. I'd say they do enough to sound original but lack the necessary punch to make you sit up and take full notice. I would hope that they put on a great live show, as this is music that is bound to get a crowd moving. But I wonder how many people will afterwards make their way to the merch stand and pick up this album?

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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