Beyond the Sixth Seal - The Resurrection of Everything Tough
Metal Blade Records - 2007
By Adam McAuley
These guys offer up a solid display of melodic leaning metal that can't be put directly into the melo-death genre, but has some of its traits. This ambiguous style heightens the excitement when listening, and there is also an emo vibe which coheres the music, creating a relatively catchy and addictive outing. The pacing found here gels nicely throughout making for an entertaining yet also slightly relaxed recording.
The entertaining riffs are drowned out by an uninspiring vocal performance that stays in the lower registers and just doesn't compel to any degree. There's also a slight lack of ingenuity that makes these undeniably melodious songs feel somewhat empty and incomplete. Instead, what we're left with is something that grabs your attention with its ability to be catchy and doesn't let go, but is just missing something. A rather punchy production job heightens these feelings. The album also suffers from a slightly skin-deep metalcore flavor that makes it become sort of cheesy.
All in all, a little more depth and complexity with the song structures would have made this a more interesting listen than it is, but the album is enjoyable regardless. The dichotomy between melodic portions makes for a very enchanting listen at times and though it may lack some ingenuinity, this is solid and worthy of your attention.
Official Beyond the Sixth Seal Website
Official Metal Blade Records Website
