Liste des groupes Death Metal Godless Rising Trumpet of Triumph

As is with most death metal bands these days, I expected to hear the same old predictable choppy guitar riffs, 320bpm blast beats, redundant and corny 'unholier than thou' vocals, and a production quality equal to or less than the first 10 seconds of an emergency toilet visit. But, just like the moments before that emergency bathroom break, I was totally caught off guard and completely surprised; I was wrong!

This CD kicks ass!

I really hope they didn't break the mold after this one was made. There needs to be more bands out there striving to create something this original. Trumpet of Triumph needs to be held as the new standard in death metal.

OK kids, wannabes, and has-beens, school is in session.

Let's start with the guitar work; heavy, melodic, clean, fast, precise, and catchy as hell. Toby Knapp has once again proven himself to be the most under-rated guitarist and metals best kept secret out there. Why is he not a household name? The guitar riffs seem to come out of everywhere. His soul bleeds through every twist and turn of every song. There is nothing boring or predictable about it. It's just a fantastic ride through the mind of a true guitar mastermind. Let's not beat around the bush, you no longer have to tune your guitar as low as physically possible to sound heavy. Just know how to play your instrument! Want to learn how? Throw some good headphones on and crank this CD.

The drums on this release totally compliment the string section perfectly. There is no overbearing flash; this is not a juvenile double bass race; take your generic drum beats, simple 4/4 bridge patterns, and useless (and unnecessary) fills and toss them out the window. They don't belong here, nor do they exist here. It is great to hear someone play solid rhythms and be able to make you want to kick a puppy without having to play blast beats for an entire album. Andy Jones sees to it that Toby Knapp's vision stays in the forefront and manages to make something that seems already flawless really come to life.

Finally, we get to my favorite part of the CD:
"Ladies and gentlemen, The Cookie Monster has left the building."
What a relief! Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE me a good serving of some raspy death metal vocals (when done right of course), but it's not the only way to make yourself sound evil! Jeff Gruslin can kill you all. Far are the days of fronting Vital Remains. There is no comparison to what he managed to accomplish with this release. While the first two Godless Rising albums were amazing reminders of what Vital Remains used to be in the early days, this one blows it all out of the water. I hereby lay the comparisons to rest. Gruslin has officially begun another chapter with his vocal ability. Let's just say that he's been able take evil to a whole new level. Though he doesn't abandon his former vocal styling, he merely adds a whole new dimension and level of intensity. The best part; the vocals are coherent. Evil just isn't evil enough until you actually understand what is being said. There is no shortage of brutality here.

The sound quality of the album is intense. It is thick, clean, heavy, dynamic, and recorded just right. Tony Ricci of Triad Recording Studios has an ear for this genre of music. This is truly another rarity these days. Let's give the muddy and under-produced recording a kick in the ass as well and get back to being able to hear what we loved about this music in the first place.

Simply put; this is by far the release of the year to this point and it will be a cold day in hell before another band can come close to being 'unholier than this'. Keep practicing kids; this is the direction that death metal SHOULD be taking. Don't get left in Godless Rising's dust.