Released by: Spinefarm Records
Release Date: April 13th, 2011
Genre: Melodic Death Metal/Metal
Links: www.myspace.com/amaranthemetal
Line Up:
Jake E – vocals
Elize- Vocals
Andy – Screams
Olof – Guitars and keys
Morten – Drums
Johan – Bass
Tracklist:
01. Leave Everything Behind
02. Hunger
03. 1.000.000 Lightyears
04. Automatic
05. My Transition
06. Amaranthine
07. Rain
08. Call Out My Name
09. Enter The Maze
10. Director´s Cut
11. Act Of Desperation
12. Serendipity
For those that have read my likings know one thing is certain…..they vary in contrast and style. Even though these days I can get into pretty much any type of metal and hard rock, there’s always a few bands here and there that I can always consider well…..different from my traditional flavor of rock. One of the genres that has always held a special place in my heart is the Melodic Death Metal genre, particularly the Gothenburg Melo Death in which bands like In Flames, Soilwork, Evergrey etc all which I hold to great regard still get a constant spin on my busy mp3 or sound system.
The reason why I bring this up is because the upcoming Melodic Death Metal band Amaranthe from Sweden and in this case we will make an exception because the band is actually half Swedish and half Danish. They rumor mill has already been slipping out quickly about these guys and in some circles they are expected to breakthrough with their first self title debut record. The group was formed by member Jake E Lundberg and Olof Morck but didn’t really come together until the bodacious talents of female singer Elize Ryd jumped on board. For those fans of Kamelot they will surely remember Elyze hitting the road with Kamelot last year and filling in the female vocal parts on the bands European leg of the tour. Alright I now is not all about eye candy but not only is Ryd gorgeous but she has some amazing pipes which glare with empowering force on this Amaranthe debut.
The band’s perfect mix of hard core death metal growls provided by Jake and the clean vocal parts by Elyze actually is something that is not groundbreaking at all and has been done many times before, but the kicker here is that regardless of originality of lack of the songs here stand on their own and will gracefully break some spines. A great ying and yang of both speed, death metal and melodic all into one big sick distorted formula.Think Shadows Fall meets Kamelot with some In Flames thrown in there, although the musicianship part still needs some work from these guys.
Right away we get our face kicked in by the speed churner of “Leave Everything Behind” which promotes all the great elements I mentioned above with hardcore attitude and galore. I’m sure you heard the bands first single “Hunger” already, we previewed and featured the video here on MGM for a while and that’s a good example of what this band can dish out on each tune on this stunning debut. Is not hard to imagine that on some passages and choruses you hear some speedier Kamelot influences, especially on the power metal induced vibe of “1,000,000 Lightyears”. The quick slithering rhythm and bass takes hold of the sheer power of “Rain” which features a nice solo break in it’s halfway point. The obsessive chorus line in “Act of Desperation” is one I couldn’t get out of my head and you won’t either after listening to it. This is where the band shines the best, the growls in the background (which don’t take away from any of the song’s vitality” and the vocal duet just slays in most of these faster paced tracks.
Make no mistake about it these guys have broken solidly into the scene and with a sextet of energy an exuberance there is no limits to where they can reach. Let’s put the improvements out of the way for the naysayers….yes they need to improve on the songwriting and the same systematic formula of the songs is what you expect from a Melodic Death band. Maybe in the future the band can explore more of their sound and change a bit. There’s only so much of the same structure that one can take. The vocal duo of Ryd and Jake are what pushes this release above mediocrity with strong vocal parts both clean and growls. A release surely to please any fan of the genres we mentioned already and one which should help launch the band’s career in fine form I take. Check it out when it’s release.
Written by Denys
Ratings Denys 8/10
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