The band successfully fuse their different influences into something that, while it has recognizable elements, never strays into the realm of copycat. In fact they have successfully created a maelstrom that might attract fans. This is a solid release that should get them to the next level.
Stemm: Blood Scent
Well first off you have to know that the band is responsible for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s theme song. This might have raised the band’s profile just a bit as the UFC is ever growing in its popularity for those who like their entertainment as brutal as it can be. Their music has even made it into the games that have been an offshoot from the league on the PS3 and X-Box.
So what is their music like? Well its not terribly hard to see what the UFC find in this lot. It's aggressive as hell while retaining some sense of the melodic, if only just. The music rather reminds me of Pantera at times, as well some other just on the edge of melodic, heavy metal bands. Needless to say their relationship with UFC guarantees them a certain amount of built in publicity and exposure. The metalcore vocals grate and are not for everyone.
In the case of this band its much of a decent band that has had some damn good fortune. Its good, but not earth shattering. There is enough on here to keep any metal-head happy for the duration. They claim this is their “Vulgar Display of Power,” which I think might be over-stating a bit. The band shows great promise and could have a truly great album in them. Not sure if this one quite fits the bill.
Séance: Awakening the Gods
It’s a re-awakening for this long dead band, that is for sure. Having broken up in 1998 after successfully heavily influencing the technical death scene in Scandinavia, they are back with an album that seemingly comes along and picks up where they left off. Even if you are not a fan of death metal, you can easily appreciate the quality of the tracks on here.
The band clearly enjoy breaking their onslaught up with mellow patches and some riffing which would make any power metaller proud. Just listen to a track like “Wasted” to see elements of what make this band so good. It's sometimes hard to discern the quality from the alright in the death metal genre. The sheer force of the music can hide up a myriad of ills. This lot go out of their way to make sure you know they know their gig and mean to do it well.
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