Search - Arsis :: Starve for the Devil

More Death/Powermetal from Arsis

avgvstvs | Omaha NE | 02/10/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first track resurrects some absolutely brilliant 80's moments with a fantastically hilarious "In the name of Satan, we are FORCED TO ROCK!" And the energy that cannot be described as anything other than frenetic continues for ten more punishing tracks.



In terms of production quality, this album is leap years ahead of "We are the nightmare," with the ultra-thin drum machine sounding kit tossed out for something much more appropriate and aggressive. The most surprising thing is that in many places I can actually hear the bass guitar playing--and its gorgeous!



While I absolutely love every last note, while I love how ruthlessly this band plays... every successive release from Arsis has been moving a more and more powermetal direction (sans vocals) that while technically brilliant... does not translate to any real raw emotion. I will be so direct as to say that they traded "evil" for melody.



Sometimes they unite: "Beyond Forlorn" has a progressive breakdown for about 4 bars that is surprising and brilliant. And the occult-themed "The Ten of Swords" is downright Slayer-like in its ability to trash without a conscience--and the breakdown here reminds me of some of the work from DT's "The Gallery."



While I'm still not 100% in love with the new direction from Arsis, one thing that I cannot say is that they aren't being original. No other band sounds like this, and though their first two albums were pure "At the Gates" worship (and I miss that) the last two releases have really seen the band become something completely of their own making. You can't compare them to ATG anymore, the styles are completely different--and ATG never lost the "from hell" feel that I feel Arsis has done of late.



Though I really don't want to give this album 5 stars, I realize that the differences I have are due to style and not to substance: This album is unique, manages to continuously innovate, and though not by any means as dark as the first two albums--blends all the best elements of their early work with the brilliant shredding of "We Are the Nightmare." If you skipped or were disappointed by the last album, don't do it this time, you will be missing out--and the polish is back!"

Melodic death metal, my Arsis!

misha2707 | 03/24/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"At the store, the album cover had a sticker billing this as melodic death metal. I disagree with that notion. Although this band does infuse some melody into the blistering guitar work, I feel this music is more in the realm of technical death metal and/or thrash death.



I'm not saying this is a bad or disappointing album. Quite the contrary. Arsis manages to deliver a truly Americanized sense of whatever style of death metal they choose to play, and do it well. The drum work is much more intense than your typical melodic death metal band and the guitars are epic and extremely thrashy.



I'm going to commit the cardinal sin here and compare these guys to Arch Enemy and The Absence. Musically, these three bands sound very similar. Both AE and The Absence are more melodically involved, but still thrashy. Both have better vocalists.



That is my only beef with this album, and it is a major one. Would it kill this guy to belt out more varied tones other than his continuous raspy drawl? I must admit that I like bands with deeper, more crushing vocals. Remove the vocals from Starve for the Devil and this is a solid 5-star release even if it is purely instrumental. I know this vocal style is part of what makes Arsis, but I'm not reviewing this album as Arsis albums go, but as death metal albums go. For the monotonous rasp, I have to dock this thing almost a full point. Starve for the Devil corrals 4.0/5 stars."

Perfection... melodic death metal at its absolute best...

Almost Home | undisclosed | 02/09/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Some bands are able to throw off labels and transcend the genre in which they find themselves being cornered. This is abundantly clear with the band Arsis. Through hard work, intelligence, an ear for innovation, and talent Arsis has been one of the bands in the modern era to be able to redefine melodic death metal as an art form. Every release has been stellar from this band, however this latest release stands apart as a true milestone in the modern metal landscape. Maybe it is the reunion of founding members James Malone and Mike Van Dyne that made this release so unique. Who knows. Other reviews have called this the best melodic death album since At The Gates' Slaughter of the Soul. Obviously it is a bit early to start on that tangent. However, as with most Nuclear Blast/Century Media releases I was able to get this early and have been able to let it soak in over time. Even this early in the year this album is a definite contender for metal album of the year. The band just comes together so well and the music is so sick that I cannot find and glaring flaws in it. Try and get ahold of the limited edition. Besides coming with a cool slipcase with exclusive art and being limited to 1,000 copies, there is the bonus track A Pound of Flesh. Usually these so-called bonus tracks are throw away demos from the studio but here it is one of the best songs on the cd. If you are new to Arsis, this band with undoubtedly make you a convert. They have yet to release a bad album but I think when all is said and done it will be Starve For The Devil standing as the lasting testament to the most unlikely band to enter the realm of melodic death metal and completely shake things up. Five huge stars."