Xerath

II

01. Unite To Defy
02. God Of The Frontlines
03. Reform Part III
04. The Call To Arms
05. Machine Insurgency
06. Sworn To Sacrifice
07. Enemy Incited Armageddon
08. Nuclear Self Eradication
09. Numbered Among The Dead
10. The Glorious Death

[05/03/2011]
[Candlelight Records]

Xerath‘s debut, aptly titled I, had all the watermarks of a fresh and promising young band. The main idea was on show quite clearly: juddering Meshuggah riffs set against orchestral parts that made even the most grandiose statements by Dimmu Borgir or Emperor seem a little half-hearted – but it all came in a package that was just a little rough around the edges; the vision hadn’t been fully realised yet.

Enter II. This Basingstoke quartet have taken a huge leap forwards in progression from the aforementioned 2009 offering and it shows most prominently in the song composition. I feel bad in admitting that I never thought they could come up with the grooves that end “God Of The Frontlines“or the djent-ish riffs showcased in “Machine Insurgency,” but I am incredibly happy to be proven wrong. On the note of djent, I think it’s fair to say that the sudden rise of the ‘genre’ (I use the term loosely because I know how easily it sets people off) has had an impression on the band. While not adhering to that sound entirely, they stay more true to sound of recent Meshuggah or even Gojira by steering clear of a lot of the pitfalls of the genre such as excessive clean singing and emphasis on melody.

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