As They Burn, France’s Deathcore, technical metallers have only been around for a few years and released their first album in 2010 titled “A New Area For Our Plagues” That year the band were supposed to be doing a UK tour but due to scene here, they decided to pull out as they were worried they wouldn’t get fed, have nowhere to sleep etc, etc (do what the rest of the bands are doing to try and make it, slum it in a car, use someone’s sofa, floor...) Rant over!
Now I have my mitts on a copy of their new album ‘Aeon’s War’ so I will see if they are even good enough to step on our land...
With an intro worthy of a mention with ‘Bless my Will’ is simple yet effective with the riffs, giving the feeling of something hopefully special ahead. The vocals are not brilliant, growly and samey to every other screaming type band. However, the drumming and riffs make up for it. A disappointing middle section with the breakdown beats made me rethink my earlier comments of “something special”. ‘City Ov Pyramids’ (Ov? Isn’t it only Gorgoroth who can use wordings like that without seeming like a chav?) Anyhow, cracking track, got my head banging straight away, and the guitar solo bits over the riffs sounds fantastic. The middle section is quite calm, then bounces straight back into some brutal drum work and growls to beat even the angriest Rottweiler.
‘Scarlet The Sacred Whore’ starts off with some immense beats then gets faster giving a thrashy feel, that is until the black metal vocals come in and turn it around. The clean (ish) vocals on this track almost ruin it; the black metal vocals are more than enough to make it work.
Another cracking track is ‘Beg for Death’ with its atmospheric intro of electric guitars and then it moves onto some uneven riffs/drum beats with the vocals fitting perfectly. The middle section contains some spooky vocals and melancholic guitar riffs and is perfect for chilling out to. Then there’s the complete opposite with ‘Philosophical Research Society’ giving off enough steam to kick you in the balls and start a hefty slam pit. Moving on to probably the best track off the album ‘Unfinished Creature’ with the technical feel and again the vocals, perfect! The clean vocal parts are pretty good too, but sounding a little like Corey Taylor (Slipknot, Stone Sour).
Quite surprisingly a great album, and the good points outweigh the bad by far. Definitely a band I would go see live. If you’re a fan of Opeth’s heavier stuff then you may like these. So come on guys “man up” and get your arses over here!
http://www.myspace.com/astheyburn
Charlene Rance
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