Year of Desolation

Year of Desolation’s self titled album is a force to be reckoned with. I did not hear their debut, but this band plays a great hybrid of thrash and melodic death metal. All of the musicians are very skilled players. The highpoint of this album is that it does not let up on intensity for one second. My favorite aspects would be the punishing drums and the melodic leads that float above the thunderous rhythm section.

I’ve seen this band compared to Avenged Sevenfold, Lamb of God, and Himsa. These comparisons are unwarranted and a more befitting comparison would be Chimaira from Cleveland. The reason this album is not perfect is because of the vocals. They are almost indistinguishable from Chimaira’s. Also, the rhythms are a little too ‘catchy’ for a band that is so explicitly denouncing metalcore. They even use 808 hits in a few spots to enhance the rhythm. The bottom line is, if you like Chimaira, there is something wrong with you, but you will probably love this band.

This disc is definitely worth a listen and will certainly help to further establish this band as a worthy metal act.