Well, if it’s on Lifeforce of course it’s gonna be METAL(core). While these German kids play some somewhat typical for the style stuff they sometimes manage to throw down some borderline REAL hardcore parts within all of the metal.
This "hardcore" isn’t that typical chug-chug breakdown stuff (while they do a good measure of that, too) rather there’s a bit At The Gates, Unleashed, The Crown, Strapping Young Lad, Darkane, Dark Tranquility that likely played a huge role in shaping this band’s sound. Nothing too special but at least they don’t have those whiney emo breakdowns like some bands in this WAY overcrowded style do.
Now it’s German kids worshipping Swedish bands, quite the reverse of 1997 - the era of Swordmaster, Nifhelheim, Guillotine, Cranium doing their best Sodom/Destruction/Kreator impressions. Overall, this is more something like a lesser version fo Heaven Shall Burn.
(((1))) Slow strumming which sound like it’s some left over Metallica intro from 1985-1988 era.
(((2))) Sounds like a mix between In Flames (guitars) and Amon Amarth or Unleashed (deep death metal vocals) this combo starts off slow then rhythmic and eventually something resembling REAL hardcore (think From Ashes Rise but with one of the Tatgren Bros. producing) and some thrash metal spasms and back to the Swedish Metal worship and some weird-ass prog keyboards in the mix. Interesting & challenging. The rest of the album SHOULD be this good but read on...
((3)) More of the same-old 1-2-3-4 Gothenborg styled & 80’s thrash runaround. It’s done pretty well but it’s also been done 1800 times before.
((4)) Pretty standard but this time they’ve thrown in some vocals that sound more like Refused and the rest well...after 2:20 they make it a metal song. Damn, I miss crossover!
(5) Ugh! Super generic riffing and it’s WITH pinch harmonics. Stop it! Some decent guitar wankery by way of virtually EVERY melodic death metal band that within a 20 miles radius of Gothenborg, Sweden. File under redundant and unimpressive.
((6)) This is odd some classic inderlude and some high brow movie sample dealing with the interelation of art & human thought.
(((7))) Some pretty decent if not overused Gothenborg 1-2-3-4 chords ‘a chargin’ down the path. Some good drumming & pick slides. (Pick slides rule!)
((8)) Semi-hardcore vocals (or least what a lot of “the kids” think is hardcore) mixed with a semi-bareable In Flames sound.
(9) Complicated riffing & more annoying pinch harmonics. A so-so “bruuutal duude” march than sounds like some weird mix of Pantera and some sort of Svensk Death Metall
((10)) Very Iron Maiden-ish/In Flames/Darkane sounding then all of a sudden they pick up the At The Gates vibe (and do it pretty well) but after the first 2 minutes this kind of drags around...even more so with the elongated piano outro. Who the fuck are they now Bruce Horsby and the Range?