Reviewed by Dave Griffiths

Why a band of Christians would want to start an album with the sound of someone having their heart ripped out of them is a little beyond me. There doesn't seem to be many answers to my myriad questions concerning this album of dark and very heavy metal. There is something about this German five-piece that makes this album distinctly unappealing. Maybe it's the totally incomprehensible growling that passes for vocals. Maybe it's the thrashing, shredding guitar that doesn't alter its tone or BPM for virtually the whole record. Maybe it's the weird lyrics, some English, some German that confuse and baffle me too much to bother. The second track, "Come Closer", is one of the few redeeming features. The lyrics could be quite encouraging if the listener knew where the invitation was coming from. However it could be the Devil, or Jesus himself; it's just not obvious. Songs called things like "Killing With Style", "Kill Me" and "Labyrinth" form part of the package. I don't dispute the prowess of the musicians, the performances are tight. This is not enough though. The desperate lack of melody, spiritual depth or light and shade left me bereft of much appreciation.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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