Reviewed by Oscar Hyde

A hard music duo, formed as an offshoot from Killswitch Engage, the dukes of Christian metalcore? Yes, and an extraordinarily passionate offshoot at that. Almost every track on this album exults in an energy I rarely hear in modern metalcore, going far beyond the vaguely melodic chugga-chug breakdown clichés of the genre to incorporate sweat-drenched, frenzied TUNES, not just melodies, and not-at-all out-of-place guitar shredding. The technical mastery on display here is awe-inspiring, even though commonplace for the genre, but this album's free of the foggy production of so much modern metalcore, and the slickness and openness of the sound adds to the musicianship considerably. When things slow down, the band completely switches genres, but their melodic sensibilities keep these tracks, such as the Americana folk-influenced "In The Arms Of Mercy" and bluesy "The Forgotten One", well within the spirit of the album. When energy levels amp back up, the band's relentlessly positive attitude bursts forth, with song titles such as "Fight For Life" and "Live In Love". Maybe it's the not-even-gritty focus on such bright and beautiful subjects, rather than the ache and world-weariness of so much of modern metalcore, that's the imperceptible difference raising the music above the pack's. Whatever the reason, this is a welcome blast of glistening metalcore goodness, and a minor masterpiece.

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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