Arsis – We Are the Nightmare
Nuclear Blast Records
(3.5/5)
If you are looking for another influential Death metal album coming from the East Coast, you better get your hands on a copy of Arsis’ newest release entitled We Are the Nightmare! With the skills of lead vocalist/guitarist James Malone, guitarist Ryan Knight, bassist Noah Martin, and sick drum master Darren Cesca all combined, We Are the Nightmare certainly scores high on the list of brutal Melodic Death metal albums I have heard as of late. There are quite a few tracks on the album that prove this over and over again, but there are a few specific tracks I would recommend over the others. These tracks include the likes of “Progressive Entrapment” (Track 7), “A Feast for the Liar’s Tongue” (Track 8), and the title track “We Are the Nightmare” (Track 1). Whilst these tracks are not ALL of the best, these are the ones I enjoy the most. “We Are the Nightmare” serves as a great intro to the album and starts off with its own great intro that builds beautifully into the song. When the song does hit, you know it! As far as “Progressive Entrapment” and “A Feast for the Liar’s Tongue” go, these two tracks are just heavy. Hands down. There’s no arguing that they show great variance and great examples of the more Death metal side of Melodic Death metal. Overall, this is a great album that I would suggest to any Death metal or Melodic Death metal fan, so if you fit into one of those categories, go out and grab a copy of We Are the Nightmare!
Shadows Fall tears the house down in Raleigh…
On April 21, 2008, Atlantic Records band Shadows Fall headlined an incredible show at the Lincoln Theater in Raleigh, NC. The supporting bands on the bill were Droid, Arsis, The Showdown, and Kataklysm. With a combined effort from all five acts, Monday night was turned from a monotonous drag to a headbanging good time!
The first band to kick off the night was Long Beach, CA band Droid. Although their set was short because of the number bands playing, Droid definitely brought their A game to start this show with aggression. This was my first Droid experience and I was definitely impressed.
The next band to hit the stage was Arsis. This was my first time hearing Arsis as well and I was definitely impressed with them. They had a great Death/Black metal sound that really helped get you going for the rest of the show. Overall, great live performance.
The third band to play was The Showdown from Elizabethton, TN. These guy really changed the pace again from Death metal to straight Heavy metal. Honestly, I’d say that they were the only band on the bill that sounded anything close to Shadows Fall. Either way, these guys could wail! Their breakdowns were awesome and I liked the Pantera-like feel some of their grooves had. Overall, they put on a great show.
The next to last band to play was legendary Death metal band Kataklysm! Normally I’m not huge into Death metal, but there is definitely an exception for these guys. Everything about their set was awesome and these guys definitely know how to get a crowd goin’! Everybody played everything on point and Maurizio Iacono’s vocals were spot on. Kataklysm proved to be my second favorite band of the night and they are certainly worth going to see again!
Finally, Shadows Fall hit the stage. Enter “massive dreads of doom”! When SF hit the stage, everybody in the venue went nuts and the party got taken to the next level. They played a good 8-10 song set that included songs such as “The Light That Blinds”, “The Power of I and I”, “Redemption”, “Failure of the Devout”, “What Drives the Weak”, and more! Just like Kataklysm, these guys were all on point and Brian Fair’s vocals were incredible. Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for much of a better set to see live.
All in all, I’m glad I finally got to see Shadows Fall play live and gain a few new bands into my arsenal of Metal! If you have the chance to see any of these band play live, go check ‘em out.
