Victory Records seems to be upping the ante these days, scooping up such extreme metal acts as Beneath the Sky, Dead to Fall, Premonitions of War, Between the Buried and Me, and now Canada's Arise and Ruin, giving the roster a more balanced feel and strong metal contingent to go along with their trademark punk, hardcore, and emo styled acts. On their debut The Final Dawn, Arise and Ruin go for the juggular with ten tracks that drip with violence and aggression, recalling the early Gothenburg scene bands such as At the Gates, Dark Tranquility, and In Flames, as well groups like Black Dahlia Murder, Hatebreed, Lamb of God, and Slayer. Lead growler Ryan Bauchman has a ferocious delivery, as he rampages and spews over such pummeling fare as "To the Grind", "Bound By Blood", and the manic "Unbound". The guitar duo of Brent Munger & Greg Richmond have put together some solid riffs and pummeling breakdowns here (love the melo-death harmonies on "Fear Itself"), though little comes close to being overly original or groundbreaking. That's the main problem throughout The Final Dawn-most of what you will hear has been done before and better, which is unfortunately something that can be said for most of the metalcore scene. I'd just assume hear more of the style they put forth on "Pale Horse", a slow, grinding number with plenty of atmosphere, layered guitar parts, and tortured vocals, easily the most varied and original piece on the album. Arise and Ruin certainly have talent, and there's enough postive things to pick out from this CD that leads me to believe that they will be a band to watch in the future as they grow and mature a bit.
Track Listing
1. Bound By Blood
2. The Final Dawn
3. End Of the Road
4. To the Grind
5. Amidst Devils
6. Unbound
7. Always the Same
8. Pale Horse
9. In Life
10. Fear Itself
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