Ara - Devourer Of Worlds
Milwaukee, Wisconsin's Ara attack the metal world with their debut full-length entitled "Devourer Of Worlds". I must say that this is a pretty decent debut for something released independently. The production is thick and full-sounding with every aspect of the music being on the right levels so that one thing does not override the other. Multi-genre elements and influences are abound on this release as it seems this band it trying to be the ultimate definition for the term "technical death metal". In many ways this is good, however, there are times when a band does this, it is our of desperation resulting in their need to be the most technically brutal band in the scene. there are elements of the band doing this at different points on this cd, but luckily the band pull back before becoming lost in the clusterfuck abyss.
The music on this release is extremely tight, brutal and in your face. The riffage has elements of thrash, death, and grindcore, with a small black metal vibe included just to push everything over the edge. I mean, seriously, the guitar work here is just absolutely insane! The same way with the drumming. One minute is slow, then a shot of amazing double bass work, then a mid paced rhythm, then a blast beat. This whole damn thing is absolutely chaotic! Think about it, imagine Immolation, playing Kreator songs with influences of Carnifex, Origin, and Obscura thrown into the mix. You have absolutely everything coming at you from every direction and at first listen it might sound like absolute nonsense, but I honestly urge every metal head even remotely interested in this release to give it a chance. Just when you think that this album is a nonsensical mess, it'll final hit you like the ton of bricks that this album truly is. The guitars coming from one direction, then the drums coming from another direction, then the vocals coming from yet another direction do seem "directionless" in themselves, but when you put them all together and these tunes lay waste to your sanity, you realize it is at that point the band pulls back from making this release completely ignorant.
Now, with that being said, that is one thing that was ignorant was the vocals. Now I'm not saying they were completely ignorant, but as I have said in many reviews before, it makes absolutely no sense to print the lyrics if the vocalist is going to be so mumbled and garbled that you cannot follow along even with the lyrics printed in the booklet. It doesn't matter how you look at it, it is a bad decision all the way around. I say this for the simple fact that it makes the vocalist appear lazy and uninterested in the material and could, very well cause the listener to become equally uninterested in listening to the whole album. The vocals were deep and brutal, but lacked the necessary clarity in the delivery department.
After listening to this album a few times, I now appreciate what the band has done here, and despite the fact that i felt this album was an almost directionless clusterfuck, the only real issue I have now is the vocal delivery. They are not a clone band by any means, but I think they are trying too hard. Ara, definitely have the talent and the tools necessary for them to be a force to be reckoned with and I look forward to their next effort. They should just sit back and relax and keep in mind that they might just be better off using their skill instead of pushing "technical" boundaries.
The music on this release is extremely tight, brutal and in your face. The riffage has elements of thrash, death, and grindcore, with a small black metal vibe included just to push everything over the edge. I mean, seriously, the guitar work here is just absolutely insane! The same way with the drumming. One minute is slow, then a shot of amazing double bass work, then a mid paced rhythm, then a blast beat. This whole damn thing is absolutely chaotic! Think about it, imagine Immolation, playing Kreator songs with influences of Carnifex, Origin, and Obscura thrown into the mix. You have absolutely everything coming at you from every direction and at first listen it might sound like absolute nonsense, but I honestly urge every metal head even remotely interested in this release to give it a chance. Just when you think that this album is a nonsensical mess, it'll final hit you like the ton of bricks that this album truly is. The guitars coming from one direction, then the drums coming from another direction, then the vocals coming from yet another direction do seem "directionless" in themselves, but when you put them all together and these tunes lay waste to your sanity, you realize it is at that point the band pulls back from making this release completely ignorant.
Now, with that being said, that is one thing that was ignorant was the vocals. Now I'm not saying they were completely ignorant, but as I have said in many reviews before, it makes absolutely no sense to print the lyrics if the vocalist is going to be so mumbled and garbled that you cannot follow along even with the lyrics printed in the booklet. It doesn't matter how you look at it, it is a bad decision all the way around. I say this for the simple fact that it makes the vocalist appear lazy and uninterested in the material and could, very well cause the listener to become equally uninterested in listening to the whole album. The vocals were deep and brutal, but lacked the necessary clarity in the delivery department.
After listening to this album a few times, I now appreciate what the band has done here, and despite the fact that i felt this album was an almost directionless clusterfuck, the only real issue I have now is the vocal delivery. They are not a clone band by any means, but I think they are trying too hard. Ara, definitely have the talent and the tools necessary for them to be a force to be reckoned with and I look forward to their next effort. They should just sit back and relax and keep in mind that they might just be better off using their skill instead of pushing "technical" boundaries.
- Incunabulum
- Obelisk
- Jerupitus, The Blood-Drenched
- Insectile Aberration
- Cadaverlanche
- Dredgehammer
- Execution
- Cruel Epitaph
- Human Garbage
- Devourer Of Worlds
Self released
Reviewer: twansibon
Mar 13, 2015
Mar 13, 2015
Next review:
Guilty As Charged - Leap Of Faith
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