Arsis - A Celebration Of Guilt

*=Staff's pick	The Face of My Innocence Maddening Disdain Seven Whispers Fell Silent* Return* Worship Depraved Carnal Ways To Recreate The Heart Dust And Guilt* Elegant And Perverse The Sadistic Motives Behind Bereavement Letters Looking To Nothing* Wholly Night*

Genre	Death/Thrash Metal	James Malone	Vocals
Tracks	11	James Malone	Guitar
Runningtime	44 Min.	-	Guitar
Label	Earache	James Malone	Bass
Release	11 July 2005	Michael Van Dyne	Drums
Country	USA	-	Keyboards
Similar artists	At The Gates, Black Dahlia Murder, Carnal Forge

Sometimes it happens that you wonder where it all will end and how the music will develop or....will it just simply stagnate and fade out in a grey mass? I've had these feelings for quite a while now and my thoughts concern mostly the genre that the upcoming band Arsis dwells in. Namely melodic death/thrash Metal, I think of bands like Arch Enemy and Darkane among many others. Honestly I must say that when I got Arsis debut, A Celebration Of Guilt my first thought was; is this yet another power metal flirting death/thrash based soup? My point is that I'm seriously wondering if this genre hasn't become kind of mediocre and where it should be quality there is just quantity left.

Well, there might be hope after all and if there is, it might be spelled Arsis. This two-piece of a band has been around since 2000 and A Celebration Of Guilt is the first sign of activities that they reveal and it's released through Earache in Europe. Arsis is a duo, so I guess the song writing procedures go plain and simple when James Malone and Michael Van Dyne are in progress at the rehearsal room. I would say that Arsis stands out in this genre where way too many bands have concentrated too much on the technical aspects. This includes Arsis too but they haven't forgot that you need a lethal dose of aggression in order to make it at least a bit extreme.

Arsis presents a straight ahead and no compromise feeling at their best times. The balance between the melodic and the aggressiveness are well set. Not too much of melodic parts that are 'just there' and suddenly disappears, just to make you wonder 'what the heck was that'? Musical skills are of course a vital part to every metal band, but I wonder if this duo isn't something out of the ordinary. Good vocals together with supreme skills and instrumental handling that are well combined with a revealing feeling of genuine passion for the music. Great beats and arrangements on drums and guitar works that at their best times reminds you of a softer version of Eric Rutan's skills in Hate Eternal.

A Celebration Of Guilt has some real killer tracks like the Seven Whispers Fell Silent, which has a melody line that I don't think anyone can resist. Return is another song that also stands out with its whirling guitar riffing. My guess would be that Arsis with this album would reach out to a very wide audience, because it has a lot to offer. Not least the hope for evolving that this kind of music needs. A damn good album.

See also review of: Starve For The Devil , United In Regret

Production	Vocals	Compositions
8	8	9

Summary
8 chalices of 10 - Tim