We Are The Nightmare
Arsis is an American Death Metal band from Virginia comprised of four members during the We Are The Nightmare recording session. James Malone, vocalist/guitarist, is the driving force behind the band and has been since Day 1. This is the 5th album (including EPs and Demos) by these guys. They have successfully put out something new every year since 2004. Although they are described as a death metal band, they are also very technical.
Intricate guitar solos and complex riffs (as evident in “Failing Winds of Hopeless Gods”) back the screams of Malone. Drumming is as fast as any death metal fist to the face style (“Overthrow” is a good example but really any song can be used). Double Bass to the max! If you need something to get you pumped up for a fight then it’s a song off of We Are The Nightmare. Brutality.
While I’m not the biggest death metal fan, Arsis fits into a style of their own. The music on We Are The Nightmare is crisp and the vocals aren’t overly throaty to throw a more melodic death metal fan like myself out of the mix. Some songs sound very similar and that’s the only major downfall here. A few bleed into each other and you might not even realize the track changed. Not enough variety for my tastes but that in no way will that keep me from listening to select tracks again and again. My track of choice would have to be “My Oath To Madness”. Killer jam.
