Hallows Die
World Of Ruin ()
Wydane przez Self-financedRok wydania Kraj CanadaNapisał Wouter5
Canada has a history of delivering excellent melodic death metal. Their most popular export is probably Neuraxis (although their post-“Trilateral Progression” material isn’t able to match their earlier output) and the more neo-classical oriented Into Eternity both carved a niche in this genre, serving as monuments and template to many. Hallows Die is a melodic death metal from Ontario, Canada who opt for a similar course. Unlike the earlier mentioned Canadian exports Hallows Die has all signs of a band still trapped in its demo/early embryonal phase. The ideas are laudable enough, but on the whole “World Of Ruin” is fairly unspectacular and unremarkable. The riffing is weak in some spots, the song structures too predictable and some of the vocal melodies are poorly conceived, but overall Hallows Die does a reasonable if not daft take on this genre. Under the death metal framework an obvious influence of traditional heavy metal can be heard, the leads/solos further cement this observation. Other than that, the demo phase trappings are apparent. Most tracks have only limited ideas, the instrumental mastery is up to par, the compositional edge isn’t exactly ambitious and beyond doing what is reasonably expected of them Hallows Die fail to add something to the genre they’re pursuing. The ideas and musical concepts of these cuts are certainly worth investigating, but with little to offer beyond a direct fix “World Of Ruin” isn’t going to etch itself out as an outstanding record, in the underground or beyond. There’s nothing wrong with mimicking those that inspired you. Imitation is, after all, the sincerest form of flattery. Judging this record by its cover Hallows Die is exactly the kind of band this package permeates: an adequate set of musicians with not a lick of originality or a concept that sets them apart from their peers. Why would anyone bother with Hallows Die if the original bands that inspired them (and their records) are widely available still?
www.myspace.com/hallowsdie
