.. . . . ..

Arsis
“We Are The Nightmare”
(Nuclear Blast)

Take 1 part extreme metal, 1 part Yngwie Malmsteen guitar madness and mix in a bit of death metal and you get Arsis (what a name! it means aptly 'upbeat'). I mean, how fast is Darren Cesca’s drumming - he must have a beat to every one of Ryan Knight’s finger movements on that fret board?!? This debut certainly races to be up there with the extreme speed metal summiteers but the early tracks just sound like half & halves i.e. 2 styles one after the other in one song (what a bargain but it really does become a nightmare). Thankfully the later tracks allow Ryan Knight’s guitar work to take form and lead in some very cool melodic death metal which to me is where the strength and future of these Virginians may lie: just lose the extreme technicality (as well as the name) and keep those dreams to break land speed records out in the desert.

-Shan Siva