Reviewed by Ben Martin

With the album self-dubbed "death metal/grindcore", it is evident from the first few tracks that this is a metalcore band with their roots in death metal. With Austin, Texas-based The Famine consisting of three original members of past Christian death metal band Embodyment who split in 2002, there is quite a movement between styles. However they have shifted well and this is a strong metalcore release which holds no prisoners. From the start, 'The Raven And The Reaping' blasts through its 11 tracks with no compromise, however after the first 15 minutes the tracks soon begin to blend due to a lack of dynamic within the music. With a constant barrage of drums, heavy yet generic riffs and vocals which are powerful yet decipherable without the album liner, it would be expected that this album would be described as brutal; unfortunately this is not the case. Though it lacks a dynamic subtleties it makes up for that in lyrical strength and "Ascend" is a standout.

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