The third album from George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher's (Cannibal Corpse) side project Paths of Possession is another decent melodic death metal outing that sees this outfit once again fully able to tread the path made famous by acts like Dark Tranquility, early In Flames, Obituary, Malevolent Creation, and latter day Death. Don't expect Cannibal Corpse however, as this collective lightens up slightly on the brutality and instead inject lots of melodies into the arrangements and guitar patterns. Corpsegrinder still delivers a bloodthirsty performance here, his vocals always some of the best growls in the business, and this one is no exception.
With Erik Rutan at the production chair once again (this guy has been busy lately!) and mastering by Alan Douches (who has worked with Mastodon, Nile, and Sepultura), The End of the Hour is a pretty impressive sounding extreme metal record from start to finish. Tunes like "I Am Forever" and "In Offering of Spite" contain some especially huge riffs (at times bordering on technical), melodic twin lead harmonies, crushing drum work, and Fisher's deathly growls and high pitched screams. The bass licks from Randy Butman are also pretty decipherable through most of the album (listen to him popping away underneath the massive riffing from Jay Fossen & Jack Goodwin on "Pushing Through the Pass"), which is not something you often hear in death metal these days. Thankfully, most of the songs have their own identity here, as the band has done a great job of mixing up the tempos and throwing in enough changes and variety to keep things flowing from track to track. Other highlight pieces include the mid-paced crunch of "Poisoned Promise Land", the massive and majestic wall of metal sound that is the title track, and the progressive, almost Iced Earth-ish "As Sanities Split".
Again, don't expect Cannibal Corpse here, but if you don't mind hearing Mr. Fisher give a more well-rounded death metal performance, and can stand a bit of melody in your extreme metal, then give this a try. The End of the Hour is mighty solid and highly recommended!
Track Listing
1. Memory Burn
2. The Ancient Law
3. I am Forever
4. In Offering of Spite
5. Pushing Through the Pass
6. Poisoned Promise Land
7. Ash is Falling Rain
8. The End of the Hour
9. As Sanities Split
10. Engulfing the Pure
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