Review Summary: Despite the seemingly "obtuse" lyrics, Dying Vine is a very well executed metal album that could satisfy fans ranging from Metal-Core to Technical Death Metal.
Aletheian is a Metal band hailing from Pennsylvania that was originally formed in 1997 under the band name "Crutch." They changed their name to "Aletheian" prior to the 2003 album Apolutrosis. “Aletheian” is a form of the Greek root for “Truth” which was fully explained by Joel in an interview in which he states: "Our primary message as a band is that there is truth in this broken world, and the truth is that there is hope, beyond all darkness and despair. Basically, we traded in a simple name that got confused with other bands all the time, for a name that no one can spell, pronounce, or remember. But we think it’s a good fit for us." Hopefully that helps with any misunderstandings you may have had about the bands name and if not? Then ignore this and read my review.
This CD originally came out back in 2005 and was produced by the band. It has been remixed and remastered by Alan Douches (Converge, Mastodon). In addition to the original tracks, there is a cover version of
Cynic "How Could I" included. Dying Vine combines a variety of influences and styles. The album combines elements of Melo-Death, Progressive, Tech-Death and even some Metal-Core. The songs are actually thought out very well and the bands chemistry and musicianship is made apparent right from the get go. Usually with a mix of influences like this, bands can get carried away just showing off their instrumental talent instead of creating focused songs with good replay value, however this is not the case here. There is enough technicality to satisfy any fans of death metal but also enough melody and catchiness to compel the listener to listen to more than just a few songs. Tracks like "Paragon" and "Broken Legacy" show the influence's from the likes of
Cynic,
Death and even
Emperor.
Lyrically the band falls short anything ground breaking or original. The songs are obviously written from a Christian standpoint but are executed poorly as lyrically, the band comes off as "obtuse." This is not to say the lyrics are bad however, but could be thought out a little better their next time around.
Regardless of a few lyrical downfalls and select songs bleeding into each other, "Dying Vine" is a very good release and will stand out very well when compared to other Christian and Non-Christian metal albums.
