Nuclear Blast, 2010
9/10
Starve For The Devil is the fourth album from Virginia Beach’s Arsis, and the band is now poised to become legitimate contenders for the technical thrash/death metal crown in the new decade. Given the revolving door membership around main man James Malone throughout the years there’s always an aura of uncertainly about what to expect. Although Arsis’s sound has progressed into thrash metal ground, the intricate guitar and bass work at the start of opener “Forced To Rock” makes it clear that Arsis is on the cusp of something special. The thrash grooves continue with “A March For The Sick”, the intensity never lets go through other standouts such as “Beyond Forlorn” and “The Ten Of Swords”. The death metal roots of the band come back to the fore near the end of the album, particularly with “Sable Rising”, “Half Past Couple O’Clock”, and “A Pound Of Flesh”. It could be argued that Starve For The Devil is no great musical advance, but where the album shines is in sheer enjoyment and technical proficiency. Most death metal album are difficult to listen to in one sitting, but listening to Starve For The Devil actually has me eagerly anticipating the next song. The other pleasant revelation for me is the profound influence of the technical guitar style of Jeff Waters of Annihilator on Arsis. The influence is subtle, but it sure is deep. Many songs left me with the impression that this is how Jeff Waters would write a death metal album. 2006’s We Are The Nightmare left many fans cold, but Starve For The Devil is a strong, impressive statement that Arsis can no longer be ignored.
See my previous post here for a review and pictures from Arsis’ recent show at The Rock in Maplewood while supporting Arch Enemy and Exodus.
Arsis will be appearing at The Rock in Maplewood on Monday, May 24 as direct support to Dying Fetus. Additional support will come from Misery Index, Conducting From The Grave, and Annotations Of An Autopsy.
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