Review Summary: Texan-produced death metal with an attitude against Christianity. They're really from TEXAS?
God-hating and general Christian defilement has been a major influence in the death metal scene for a long time now. As Eden Burns, a 5-piece outfit from Houston (which is somewhat ironic), is no different in their approach. Their hatred for all things Jesus is obviously evident from the band name and the album name. You know what you’re getting with these guys lyrically—plenty of vocal heresy, deity rejection and other unsavory heathen discussions, delivered in unintelligible angsty growls, yelps, and screams.
The singer’s range, if you could call him a singer, is limited to a very nice high scream with some low growls sprinkled randomly into each song. According to the bands myspace, they no longer possess a singer for the band. In any case, whoever appears on the album highlights an average melo-death/death metal vocalist’s ability and does a sufficient job adding his brutal touch to the mix.
The guitarists of the band are more than satisfactory, delivering a constant stream of shred and wicked riffs, as well as drawing from an eternal spring of creativity for their solos. While the riffs aren’t totally original, and you may get the feeling you’ve heard something like this from a different melodic death metal band already, they still make for a very fun listen. And as a bonus, a yummy solo is showcased in almost every song.
As for the rhythm section, the bass is for the most part completely audible, although he is not doing anything groundbreaking.
The drums are hectic and constantly pounding away at your skull, although he seems to enjoy smashing away at his cymbals a little bit too often. However, whoever produced this album did an excellent job, as the bass and drums add quite a bit to each song and are a pleasure to listen to.
So what could be wrong with this album? For one, it sounds a lot like something The Black Dahlia Murder already wrote. Also, some tracks blend into one another and ultimately, none of the other songs can add up to the greatness of the title and opening track, The Great Celestial Delusion, which is one of my favorite death metal songs of all time.
However, the band is very young, not to mention talented, and has room for growth. Although this album is nothing really groundbreaking, it will have you head banging along and wanting more. I look forward to As Eden Burns in the future to realize even more of their massive potential.
Summary
Pros:
-Fun riffs
-Good production
-Hectic drums and audible bass
Cons:
-A little too samey-ish sometimes
-Black Dahlia Murder, anyone?
Grade: 3.8/5
