I think that this album is one of the best newer albums to come out.
Matt Heafy - Lead Vocals, Guitar
Corey Beaulieu - Guitars, Vocals
Travis Smith - Drums
Paolo Gregoletto - Bass Vocals
The End Of Everything - 1:22
This is a very soft song with acoustic guitar and a nice piano part and also no lyrics. It gets you ready for heavy metal ass kicking your about to get. 3.5/5
Rain - 4:13
This is a very heavy song to get you started. Very fast double bass action and heavy drumming. It's a fast paced guitar riff with some very good vocals and very good lyrics to go behind it all. You can definatley hear some Metallica in them especially at the very beginning of the song. The bass in the song is also very good and the chorus is very good too. At the end of the song they go into a part that reminds me a lot of the double bass part in the song "One" by Metallica. 5/5
Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr - 4:51
This is one of the singles off of this album. It has a good drum intro and it has a very nice bass line backing it up. If you listen to Matt Heafy's vocals they are very good and I think that he is one of the best songwriters out there today. The guitar work is amzing on this song, it is very technical and not just crappy power chords like you hear in some bands. This song also has a nice little guitar solo too. Matt Heafy screams his ass off in this song 5/5
Drowned And Torn Asunder - 4:19
This song starts off with a less powerful intro but it quickly changes back to heavy intense playing. Very powerful singing at times in this song backed by some really fast double bass action. Matt's singing at parts isn't the best and the lyrics aren't as good as some of the other songs. But the guitar solo makes up for it, it is very fast and intense. 3.5/5
Ascendancy - 4:27
This is the title track of the album. It has a good drumming intro with some guitar behind it. This is one of my favorite songs on the album. Matt goes into a little more melodic songing in the chorus which is very good. And once again the lyrics for this song are amazing. The guitar skills are very nice on this song aswell. The guitar solo is a little weak compared to some of the other solo's on the album but it goes with the song well anyways. 5/5
A Gunshot To The Head Of Trepidation - 5:57
A very nice intro to the song and also one of the singles off of the album. This is a very heavy song with some very deep lyrics. You can definatley hear the 5-string bass in this song. Excellent drumming in this song and very nice guitar work. The guitar solo in this song is incredible as Corey does the first part and then switches it off to Matt to finish it off. I definatley recommend this song. 5/5
Like Light To The Flies - 5:37
This is a very heavy song that is also very Metallica oriented. Matt is screaming his ass off in this one until you get to the chorus, he then goes in to his very nice melodic singing. But then goes right back into the screaming. The guitar solo is good but not amazing in this song. You also can't hear the bass line that well in this song. 4.5/5
Dying In Your Arms - 2:55
This is on of the other singles off of the album. This is a song that barely has any screaming in it. It is mainly his very good singing voice. The lyrics are nice in this song. The song is definatley not as heavy and fast as others but it is still good as at this point in the album you need a little break from the screaming. The guitar solo fits the song very nicely and is very good. 4.5/5
The Deceived - 5:13
A very heavy intro in this song after the slower song before it. Definatley heavy and fast and ass kicking. The drumming is very good in the song and during the chorus their is that melodic songing voice again. Nothing too special about this song but I still like it. 4/5
Suffocating Sight - 3:49
A good intro to the song. Very fast and heavy letting you know that the rest of the song is like that to. The lyrics are very good in this song and the chorus is very good and catchy. The screaming in the song are good and the bass line is good as well and the guitar solo is incredible but a little to short. 4.5/5
Departure - 5:43
The intro too this song is little bit like Drowned And Torn Asunder which I would say is not a good thing. The song starts out with some soft melodic singing but then goes into more powerful singing with some very nice lyrics. The guitar part is nice at the slower parts but heavily distorted at the screaming which is good. At the choruses the singing is good. The song eventually gets very fast and heavy with an amazing shredding guitar solo. 5/5
Declaration - 7:00
With this song I didnt hear anything that was too special or different from the other songs on the album. The guitar was good as usual and you can't really hear the bass. The guitar solo was a bit slow but it was still good. 3/5
Pros:
Amazing Guitar Solo's
Good Songwritting
Amazing Singing
Cons:
Some stuff sounds the same
At times you can't even hear the bass
Recommended Songs:
Rain
Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr
Ascendancy
A Gunshot To The Head Of Your Trepidation
The Deceived
