The debut from Sweden's Scenteria, titled Act of Aggression, is a bombastic and relentless thrash metal fest, sure to please fans of bands such as Testament, At the Gates, The Haunted, Lamb of God, or even early In Flames. While not as technical as Children of Bodom or Shadows Fall, Scenteria manages to mix in some complex riffery with their massive rhythmic crunch. Songs like "Infected War" and "Acts of Lunacy" recall vintage Slayer as much as the latest from Lamb of God, while "Addicted" is pure Swedish death metal with lumbering riffs and tortured vocals.
While there is nothing groundbreaking to be heard on Act of Aggression, Scenteria can be commended for creating plenty of muscular thrash metal that works on many levels. It would have been nice to hear more of the style that the band showed on "Reign of Hate", a symphonic and melodic death metal number that perhaps hints at a direction that this ensemble might move towards on future releases. Featuring melodic harmony guitars and a smattering of keyboards to go along with pummeling riffs and blood-curling vocals, this piece was a nice change of pace to some of the more traditional thrash numbers on the CD. A similar sound can be heard on the impressive closer "The Abyss", which also contains some of the deadliest guitar riffs on the entire album.
There's lots of potential here, and Scenteria will definitely be a metal band to keep an eye in the near future.
Track Listing
1) Acts of Lunacy
2) Circle of Fear
3) Forever Lost
4) Infected War
5) Addicted
6) Dead Point of View
7) Blackend
8) Reign of Hate
9) The Abyss
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