Review Summary: Brutality is the order of the day on The Argent Dawn's debut,
The UK extreme metal scene is certainly for many in a debatable condition. Modern death metal acts such as Annotations Of An Autopsy and Trigger The Bloodshed, whilst there can be no denying the vicious nature of their music, have come up against a great deal of criticism from metal purists and die-hard stalwarts who argue that these bands are not ‘true’ death metal, that they have diluted the scene with their breakdowns, their skinny jeans and their Myspace pages. The truth is these bands are doing more to propagate the genres reputation around the world than any of the single-minded, dogged fans revelling in obscurity and a total lack of ambition. Where would the greats such as Morbid Angel or Suffocation be if they languished in a myopic scene satisfied with a complete lack of progress? It did not work for them, and it will work for the new breed. And bottom line - extreme metal has never been so popular, because a lot of the bands the UK are producing are fantastic.
The Argent Dawn are one such band. Combining a Decapitated like technical lurch with a slice of venomously thick Whitechapel-esque sludge, the outfit have certainly been impressing audiences on the live circuit, with six UK runs already under their belt. A Blank Eternity goes along way in transferring their accomplished performances onto record, as the songs rage with a conviction which belies their years.
The guitar work is undoubtedly striking, as the band utilize a three guitar attack which, of course, only adds substantially to the sonic brutality on offer. Even on tracks such as World Of Hate, in which melodic guitar lines are included, or title song A Blank Eternity with it technical flashes, the still pummelling rhythms continuing from the other guitar players means that none of the muscle or weight is lost from their sound, making the album a truly pulverising experience. This also makes the subject of breakdowns worth noting (as can be guessed, there are plenty of them), with the third guitar providing a exceptionally monstrous addition as they chug in unison.
The colossal delivery of the guitars is only matched by the constant guttural roar of singer Jamie Harrison, whose uncompromising low register brings to mind the demonic execution of Behemoths Nergal or ex-Decapitated man Sauron. There is a definite lack of variety in the vocals, as this deep bark is relied on a little too excessively, yet there is no denying its effectiveness.
The drums blast and grind as you would expect, as nimble footed James Burke works his way around his kit with skill and conviction, turning in a competent yet customary performance by the standards of today’s metal scene. The bass work, unfortunately yet not unsurprisingly, is utterly lost beneath the domineering guitars.
And so, even though for the most part A Blank Eternity offers up a familiar formula, The Argent Dawn have crafted a darkly compelling album which only adds to the testimony, and acts as a rather brilliant example, that British death metal is in a superbly fine state of health, displaying enormous potential whilst systematically demonstrating a knowledge and love for their peers.
