Arsis
A Celebration of Guilt

Release Date: 2004 | Tracklist

How often are you pleasantly surprised when you listen to music for the first time? Not very often if you're somebody like me. For the most part, it takes me a couple listens to get into the music I listen to. Only a select few albums have blown me away upon first listen. The albums found among this, for lack of better term, "elite group" include none other than Judas Priest's Painkiller, Gamma Ray's Land of the Free, Kiuas' The Spirit of Ukko, In Flames' The Jester Race, and of course, both of Arsis' full length releases, A Celebration of Guilt and United in Regret. A Celebration of Guilt, the band's first album, shocked the metal world, seemingly coming from nowhere. The 11 track effort has been met with praise, praise, and well, more praise. But does the melodic death metal band's debut effort deserve that many positive reviews and comments? Is A Celebration of Guilt that good? My dear readers, the only appropriate response would be "yes, and then some."

Arsis' can best be described using the term extreme metal. Though they are most definitely a melodic death metal band, there is a definite thrash and black metal influence found in their music. The violent nature of both genres (as well as in death metal, obviously) plays quite a prominent role in the foundation of the music on A Celebration of Guilt, yet never do these chaotic overtones feel excessive or unneeded. One can point to any track, whether it be the opener, Face of My Innocence, Return, or Looking for Nothing, and find the uncontested amounts of brutality that one would expect from in a death metal band. But we can't forget the melodic side of Arsis, for it too makes the listener quite aware. Considering the heaviness of the album, it's quite amazing how guitarist/vocalist/bassist James Malone manages to incorporate any melody into the music. Of Arsis' two full length albums, A Celebration of Guilt easily contains more melodic moments, and while it isn't quite as melodic as In Flames' The Jester Race, it still uses this musical aspect to its fullest extent. Songs such as Maddening Disdain and Seven Whispers Fell Silent both stress this element in their respective structures and both succeed in drawing listeners in through their shockingly infectious combination of aggression and melody. Arsis is quite the competent band, musically, and you'll likely have a difficult time finding someone who finds something to dislike about the musical qualities in the band's music.

Another aspect of the album I quite like is the production. While you would think that a record recorded by a two man band would have sound quality, Arsis would be an exception. Though it definitely doesn't have the same quality as a bigger band with more to spend, the production levels are still very appropriate for the band. Everything is quite well put together and easy to hear, whether it be the shrieks and growls of James Malone, the wailing harmonies, or the ferocious drumming of Mike van Dyne. Fans of this genre really couldn't ask for much more, especially considering the band's age, as it gets the job done quite efficiently. And finally, through the concise, dark tracks, it is also evident that the duo had put quite a bit of effort into the album. Even through repeated listening, none of the songs grow stale or tiring. Each of the LP's exquisite elements likely helped mould this outcome. Nearly every aspect, be it technical soloing, thunderous drumming, or the chaotic growling, is of equal importance, or so Arsis would have you believe. As one would listen to A Celebration of Guilt, it becomes quite obvious that everything from the guitar to even the lyrical content (probably the weakest link of the Arsis attack) is quite inspired and was heavily worked on. There are no real complaints in this area, as Arsis seems to have done its best to maintain the consistency in nearly every aspect throughout its debut album.

While many seem torn over Arsis' latest album, United in Regret, most seem to be able to agree that A Celebration of Guilt is one hell of an album. Chock-full of aggressive riffs and solos; melodic harmonies, interludes, and other musical passages which find themselves entwined within the band's tracks; harsh, guttural screaming; A Celebration of Guilt is quite a good album for both new and old fans of extreme metal. Both original and potent, the American melodic death metallers effectively bridge the gap between the likes of melo-death, death, thrash, and black metal to create a memorable album of which almost metal head could get into. If you're lucky enough to find this in your local record shop, do no hesitate to pick it up, as it is definitely a worthy investment.

Recommended Tracks:
Face of My Innocence
Return
Seven Whispers Fell Silent
Maddening Disdain

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4 excellent

Rank: #167 for 2004