This is one of the more promising debut albums I have listened to in a while. 3 Mile Scream is melodic brutality at its finest. The band was birthed from the remains of a number of imploded metal acts in Montreal, Canada. It seems as if all of the most promising elements shed the chaff and came together to create a new voice of the extreme that demands your attention. From the opening notes you will be glued to the speakers as this quintet lays siege to your ear holes.
3 Mile Scream is like the illegitimate love child of Strapping Young Lad, Lamb of God, In Flames, Morbid Angel and Testament. Much like Freddy Krueger was the bastard son of 100 maniacs, 3 Mile Scream is the product of the unholiest of influences, yielding incessant drums, sonic destroyer guitars, and a voice that will sing to you as much as it will scream itself raw at the expense of your eardrums. Combining elements of thrash and death with the melodic tendencies of metalcore, they are setting themselves up as a potentially prominent member of the New Wave of American Metal (a descriptor I am not sure exists, but seems fitting with the revival of heavy music in North America).
The album opens with the innocuously titled "Prelude," something you should fear on a metal album, or just be inquisitive about if you do not know what to expect. I was in the latter camp; the mellow piano that played lulled me into territory that did not prepare me for what was about to come.
The prelude gives way to "Mourning the Lost" which is akin to getting hit upside the head with a sledgehammer. It moves into a brutal metal track with melodic layers, reminiscent of Killswitch Engage.
3 Mile Scream proves they have what it takes to compete in the ever-changing heavy scene. Each song is as brutal as the one that came before it, but it tempers that with strong doses of melody, co-existing in a mixture that is extremely volatile. Everything builds to their premiere cut, "Dare to Question." It clocks in at nearly six minutes and puts each of their talents to the test, taking them to the limit, dangling them over the edge, to which they respond "I dare ya." As if to prove a point, 3 Mile Scream does not hold anything back - they take no prisoners, and they will not be ignored.
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