Allegiance

I don't know what it is, but I'm growing quite weary with the rapid influx of Black Dahlia Murder clones. Just the other day my friend was suggesting me a bunch of bands. I thought they all sounded decent but they also all sounded nearly identical to BDM. And I know that BDM didn't create this stuff either. I know they stole it too. I'm just getting pissed off at how all these damn kids now care about speed, screams, and speed more than they care about originality. HxC is tainting the youth...

Now I'm not gunna lie; I enjoyed this album. Had it all been truly original stuff, I might've been inclined to score it higher (as high as 87). All of the songs sound good. Good riffs. Good solos. Good breakdowns. Production wasn't very good. Drumming sounded a little sloppy in one of the songs. The vocals were similar as BDM, one high and one low, except neither one was as good as those of BDM. Towards the end of track 3, there's some über fast double bass work. Track 5, "Pouring Reign," was a very nice, slower instrumental track, smackdab in the middle of the album. That's probably the high point of the album.

But this band does one-up on BDM by adding numerous changes in riffs and speed throughout each song.

So if you're a fan of BDM, chances are you'll really enjoy this cd. Just know that it's nothing new.

[Score reduced to 65 following re-evaluation of rating system.]