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Arsis: Lepers caress
28/02/13 || Sokaris
I feel a bit of a personal connection to Arsis’ career trajectory. I remember snagging “A celebration of guilt” off the shelves based on a hunch and a recommendation. The artwork was intriguing (I had yet to be introduced to Mark Riddick’s illustrations) and the sticker promised the strongest entry to in the melodic death metal genre since At The Gates’ seminal “Slaughter of the soul.” And I’ll be goddamned if it wasn’t. The inaugural Arsis album has really stood the test of time. Its a brilliant showcase of technically proficient, vicious, catchy and intriguingly composed metal. The band followed up being rookies-of-the-year by penning a 13-minute epic, meant as part of the soundtrack for a ballet (of course). After that the band’s continued on a somewhat wavering trajectory.
It’s not that Arsis has put out any flat out bad albums, it’s just that my being there way back when the first album still smelled like the pressing plant makes me a bit of an entitled dick. Yeah, “We are the nightmare” schooled a lot of the Necrophagist worshipers and “Starve for the devil“was kinda like if Children Of Bodom were still trying but they came off as a band not really sure what to do and where to fit in. And the less said about “United in regret” the better.
So once again its time to hype up a new Arsis album and hope they can live up to the early material. Early demos were placed online and the response was quite positive. To further amp up the anticipation, Scion (the freakin’ car company that’s brought us kickass Enslaved and Immolation EPs recently) released Lepers Caress, a short piece comprised of exclusive material, a re-recording of an old demo and an alternate version of a song from the upcoming full-length.
Things start off a little atypically for Arsis, with a big, dramatic mid-paced introduction track entitled “Haunted, fragile and frozen”, though its shreddy flair gives the band away pretty easily. The first track segues into “Six coffins wide” (they should play this at that thing that spawned Honey Boo Boo’s funeral) where one of the EPs few flaws is revealed. The blasting section emphasizes a slightly overpowering drum kit, particularly the snare, though its tone is MUCH less grating than the sterile drum sounds of “We are the nightmare.”
An oldie is dusted off in “A veil of mourning black”, the only song from the band’s second demo to escape being included on “A celebration of guilt.” Though the song contains the energy of that era’s song, it’s not quite as intricately arranged. A solid track nonetheless and it’s good to see that last track get the update. If my pointless-bonus-DVD-from-the-third-album knowledge is accurate, sole original member James Malone considered this song’s title as the band’s initial moniker, ultimately deciding that four words was just too long to use for a name. You hear that, chop-haired scenester assholes? There’s some wisdom in there.
“A tearful haunt condemned” is a hell of a standout track with its scathing vocal work, complex two-guitar melodic hooks and fret wizadry. The song journeys through a bevy of memorable riffs before climaxing with a mind-melting solo from mainman James Malone.
If you’re shocked that “Carve my cross” is the single than you’re not really paying attention. The song basically starts out with a gang-scream of a t-shirt slogan, said slogan reappearing throughout for maximum hookability. Not that there’s anything wrong with an extreme metal band presenting their catchy parts up front (though some brutaller-than-thou types like to think so). Personally I don’t find it as engaging as some of the other songs but it doesn’t hold the EP up.
We close things on a very high note with “Denied.” It’s a fairly straightforward, under three minutes and done piece of classic Gothenburg injected with just a hint of American death. Imagine if Suffocation’s Mike Smith had been playing for Dark Tranquillity circa ’95.
So this EP is kind of a strange artifact since there’s generally not much exclusive material when all is said and done and an alternate version of an as-of-yet unreleased song is kind of confusing. However, it makes sense that the band wants to present a sort of alignment with the past (including a re-recording of an older song makes sense in this regard) and entice fans that were disappointed by the last album to jump back on board. Doing it as a free download makes it an advisable dip to take and I urge any past fans to try a listen.
It’s unlikely that there will ever be a proper follow-up to “A celebration of guilt” but “Lepers caress” is a step in the right direction.
- Information
- Released: 2012
- Label: Scion Audio Visual
- Website: Arsis MySpace
- Band
- James Malone: vocals, guitar
- Brandon Ellis: guitar
- Noah Martin: bass
- Shawn Priest: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. Haunted, fragile and frozen
- 02. Six coffins wide
- 03. Veil of mourning black
- 04. A tearful haunt, condemned
- 05. Carve my cross
- 06. Denied
