REVIEW: ARSIS - DEMO 2002

 

ARSIS - DEMO 2002 (Independent, 2002)

Produced by Arsis

Recorded by James Malone and Michael Van Dyne

Tracks: 1- Ellegant and Perverse, 2- Wholly Night, 3- Worship Depraved, 4- Seven Whispers Fell Silent, 5- Veil of Mourning Black, 6- Fortune´s Envy, 7- Close, 8- Painted Eyes

Here we have Arsis, which is a duo of talented musicians: James Malone and Mike VanDyne decided to play together while attending Berklee College of Music. And on this recording you can feel how tallented this two guys are. I really liked the way Malone and VanDyne mix the most extreme metal genres, such as death metal or black metal with a lot of virtuosism (you have to check Malone´s guitar solos which are really complex to play...and a footnote: It has been a long time since I last listened to a guitar solo that uses a harmonizer!!). One thing that gains extra points for arsis is the complexity of their riffs and drumbeats which are not straightforward as in many extreme bands prefering to use riffs in the vein of Death, Carcass, Cynic or Atheist in many places. The vocals are brutal and add a lot of extreme feeling to Arsis music. Buy it or die!!!

Favorite tracks: One of the most powerful releases of the month. All the tracks are perfect

Contact: www.worshipdepraved.com or www.mp3.com/arsis