Artist: Adversary
Title: Singularity
Label: Trustkill
Type: Album
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In the music business, that isn’t often the case. Most bands will offer a knowing nod in the direction of their influences, whilst others are flat out imitators and often poor ones too. Adversary are all about what has become known as the ‘Gothenburg sound’, and although, by it’s very name, the sound of all the ‘Gothenburg’ bands can be considered similar, it speaks volumes that when I first played this CD, the first thought that came into my head was, “Fuck me, it’s Soilwork!”
Now as you might imagine, the majority of ‘Gothenburg’ bands are Swedish, however Adversary hail from Manassas, Virginia, where this style of music is picking up the term ‘Melodeath’. It’s quite an apt description, certainly on the vocal side of things. William Clapp has a good range, varying from Glen Benton’s guttural roars to Angela Gossow style aggression in the verses, whilst the choruses are delivered pretty much exclusively clean, in an almost vocal carbon copy of Soilwork’s ‘Speed’ Strid. Kenny Harrison and Brad Ryder on guitar give us some killer riffs and shredding solos that really carry the album along. It’s very hard not to get drawn in by it all and nodding along with the music, especially with the versatility of drummer Justin Green crashing and blasting your ears into oblivion. Adversary manage to be brutal and yet diverse and technical, delivering an overall package of eminently accessible metal.
Opening track ‘Hedonist’ is a brutal thrashing attack with lightning fast drums and guitars, with singer Clapp spitting venom in the verses, before bringing in the (somewhat mandatory in this genre) melodic chorus. ‘The Romance of Lies’ has strong elements of Fear Factory in it’s blood, but the best track on here is the title track, ‘Singularity’ which maintains the melodic death style of the rest of the album, but seems to incorporate more of the hardcore style for which Trustkill bands are generally synonymous, and in this instance it works brilliantly. The definition of a Singularity is that of something distinct from the others. One of a kind. To say that these guys are one of a kind would be a lie, but what you do have here is a bunch of great musicians playing some downright impressive music. It grabs you by the throat from the beginning and doesn’t let up over the entirety of the album. Originality doesn’t count if the end product goes on to surpass the original material. This is a belter of a debut! You’re looking at one of the biggest up and coming bands in Metal right here. Check them out.
http://www.trustkill.com/artist/Adversary
http://www.myspace.com/adversarymetal
Lee Kimber
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