Rise - Life Into Ever Black
Review: Simple and heavy death metal from this Los Angeles band builds a unique sequence of violent motion rhythms into its voice of expression, with which it makes surprisingly engaging songs that gratify the popular side of death metal. Strict power chord formations comprise songs which illustrate the range and power of a simple riff through rolling verses and spanning chorus counterpoint rhythms.
Tempos range from the standoffish marches like those Unleashed once used to blasting grindcore mayhem, and over it all the iron jaw of the vocalist paces abrasive lyrics with power and sometimes, unexpectedly forgivable melodrama. Although not technical wizardry the ambition to compose and play intricate music is here, although enacted only in the death metal space so far discovered, brings variation and intensely personalized passages to some songs.
Percussion is smooth in transition and familiar with the material, and uses a careful balance of rhythms to propel this indefinition of this stuff which sometimes resembles the blasting speed-metal derivate of New York style death but then moves into smoother passages like older European bands, and sometimes invokes the basic structural metal of Death. Lead guitar wanders for tonal supremacy but provides melodic reinforcement to the rhythms moving underneath, which change with the emotional seasons of each song. That this has been accomplished on a demo suggests there is room above for Rise to expand this sound to its natural conclusions.