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Aphyxion

Earth Entangled

Written by: PP on 05/10/2014 16:41:40

Ribe, Denmark based melodic death metallers Aphyxion have been a common name on the Danish metal scene for more than half a decade now, despite only releasing their debut album "Earth Entangled" last month. They've already played at Wacken Open Air and Copenhell, and count more than 100 live shows as a band already. They've previously released two EPs in 2009 and 2010, respectively, which were favourably received by the Danish press, so there has been some anticipation on what they could come up with for their debut album.

Basically, we're looking firmly towards the Gothenburg melodic death metal scene as the primary inspiration for the band's music. They have a thick growler whose roars are constant contrasted by melancholically-infused guitar melodies that draw parallels to the likes of Soilwork and even At The Gates at times. Raunchy have previously toyed with similar elements in Denmark, although Aphyxion are a much heavier band in comparison. Few metalcore-esque elements can also be found in the occasional breakdown or two that reminds you of what Heaven Shall Burn have been doing for a long while now down in germany, but essentially, melodic death metal with strong guitar melodies is the name of the game here. Songs like "Transgress", "The Deterioration" and "Born Abomination" are all good examples where Aphyxion take the genre and transform it into a Danish metal equivalent. This can largely be attributed to their vocalist, whose delivery is regrettably monotonous and of very low caliber compared to their international counterparts. His growl is completely unvaried throughout the record, resulting in most songs blending together in such a manner that one week from now, you'll have serious difficulty in remembering what your favorite songs from this release were.

This is a shame, because instrumentally Aphyxion are very good in their songwriting. The lead riffs are recognizable and ambitious in terms of their melody, the drumming is textured and provides the necessary oomph to underline that this is melodic death metal and not metalcore. With a better vocalist - or even a backup vocalist providing some contrast and variety - these guys could go far in that scene. For now, the boring vocals drag the release down from a good to an average one instead.

Download: Transgress, The Deterioration, Born Abomination
For the fans of: Raunchy, Arch Enemy, Soilwork, Heaven Shall Burn, At The Gates
Listen: Facebook

Release date 01.10.2014
Mighty Music