UK deathcore newbies Tides Of Virtue already have a couple of releases under their belts and this full length shows good potential to get their name on the pierced tongue tips of the teencore brigade. It is far too easy to be cynical about this genre and debatably it is easier to slag the scene than write something positive about it as TOV has something different to offer above and beyond the formulaic wrangling predictability the genre is so guilty of.
“Malevolence” begins with a familiar acoustic based melody before diverting to a thrash riff and some high speed blasting. The usual macho hardcore vocal barking and screaming is employed which fits within the scenes well defined parameters. The bands extra skill is undertaken within the way they structure their songs using good riff harmonies and well thought out leads, amongst the familiar bass bombing and breakdowns. “No Coming Back” builds nicely into a thudding beat with screaming pained vocals, but keeps the pace deliberate until the song switches sides with a speedy riff that is backed by a blast which works well enough.
Comparatively Tides Of Virtue fit alongside bands such as Ignominious Incarceration and Viatrophy such is the technical adeptness and variety the songs possess. “Emperors” is far more aggressive yet drenched in a powerful harmony with decent lead work. The shorter almost instrumental “The Pain Continues” is as heavy as they come and bodes well for the double kick blast start of the title track which comes with an enormous breakdown.
The band certainly enjoys throwing in some off kilter measures such as random changes in pace and mood on “Destruction Of The Fortress” as “Fabric Of Destiny” is splashed with riff variety that enable this album to retain the listeners attention for more than just a few songs. I actually enjoyed this album a lot but whether it will sit on my playlist for any length of time is highly questionable such is the quality of music output this year already. There is little negativity to write about the album aside from the predictability of bass bombs and breakdowns, but within the context of deathcore “Malevolence” is as good as it gets and deathcore/metalcore aficionados should check them out.
http://www.myspace.com/tidesofvirtue
