The first few seconds of the first track to this album clued me in that this band, The Avulsion, is a modern brutal metal force to be reckoned with. The breakdowns make the "core" influence unmistakable, and the technicality of the music is something that many brutal bands founded in the past decade or so have stepped up in order to outdo their neighbor. Oftentimes, technical brutality is regurgitated as the riffs and breakdowns sound ambiguous from band to band, album to album, track to track; luckily, this is not the case with The Avulsion's album "Unholy", as the band utilizes originality and focuses enough energy to actually write memorable songs. I wish I could say the same about the vocals, but then again, I prefer brutal vocals to fit brutal music. Besides, the vocals have virtually no effects and don't sound over-strained, as many modern vocalists tend to be wannabe musicians who somehow think that death grunt/scream vocals are the easiest instrument to pull off.
The six tracks on this release are to the point in terms of titles and track length; titles such as "Axe to Grind" and "Trigger Warning" are easy to remember, whereas the final track "Once the Sea Has Been Silenced" has enough intrigue to make someone listen to the end, all the way through the melodic conclusion. The band has ensured through songwriting that each track is distinguishable enough to remember, and the 3 to 5 minute length is perfect to keep listeners engaged while also allowing us to enjoy each song.
This Canadian band incorporates key elements of death metal, grindcore, and deathcore into its music. Both guitarists are on point and they and the drummer compliment each other. The bass is audible, but not so much that it seems as though the bassist bribed the audio engineer. The vocals are brutal enough to excite yours truly, yet varied enough in style and guttural level that it keeps things interesting. Additional vocals are provided by the lead guitarist, according to the band's Facebook, and I particularly like it when I band that records dual grunts and screams can actually pull it off live; such a notion bothers me ever so slightly about bands such as Deicide (incidentally one of my favorites), as they cannot/don't bother to utilize the dual vocal lines from their albums in their live shows.
My rating: 9.5/10
The six tracks on this release are to the point in terms of titles and track length; titles such as "Axe to Grind" and "Trigger Warning" are easy to remember, whereas the final track "Once the Sea Has Been Silenced" has enough intrigue to make someone listen to the end, all the way through the melodic conclusion. The band has ensured through songwriting that each track is distinguishable enough to remember, and the 3 to 5 minute length is perfect to keep listeners engaged while also allowing us to enjoy each song.
This Canadian band incorporates key elements of death metal, grindcore, and deathcore into its music. Both guitarists are on point and they and the drummer compliment each other. The bass is audible, but not so much that it seems as though the bassist bribed the audio engineer. The vocals are brutal enough to excite yours truly, yet varied enough in style and guttural level that it keeps things interesting. Additional vocals are provided by the lead guitarist, according to the band's Facebook, and I particularly like it when I band that records dual grunts and screams can actually pull it off live; such a notion bothers me ever so slightly about bands such as Deicide (incidentally one of my favorites), as they cannot/don't bother to utilize the dual vocal lines from their albums in their live shows.
My rating: 9.5/10
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