xDeathstaRx - We Are The Threat
Facedown Records - FCD056 - 2006
By Brandon Strader
xDeathstaRx is a straight edge Christian hardcore group out of Southern California, yet you could only really tell their Christianity by label - not at all by the sound of their debut,
We Are The Threat. Unfortunately the band have recently lost the singer, bassist, and drummer and are currently seeking said members. Requirements? Straight edge Christian in Southern California with touring experience. Good luck, folks.
Their sophmore effort, We Are The Threat, is bulky and solid with a generally mild guitar tone and features your typical yell-hardcore vocals. Songs like
Burn Everything introduce blastbeats when the song begins, yet soon drops into a mechanically precise hardcore breakdown. xDeathstaRx are just as harsh as any other hardcore band, and their sound seems to be a copy of the genre rather than something different. For the material, a guitar tone with a bit more treble and crunch really could have benefitted them greatly.
It's strange for a band to have three vocalists, especially when they're all doing the same style and there's basically one vocalist going at a time except for the occasional "group shout".
xDeathstaRx have their focus on the live performance, of course! As with most hardcore bands, these guys write stage-ready tunes with plenty of moshing ability. They're out to have a good time (though with no beer) and prove that even straight-edge Christians can evoke the demons of metal... in a hardcore fashion.
Official xDEATHSTARx Website
Official Facedown Records Website
