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This Edmonton trio might be the ones who will put
western Canada on the extreme metal map. Fusing the best of all metal genres
into one uniquely turbulent form of elite art, Axis of Advance have matured
beyond their short existence with "The List", their third recording and
first for Osmose. The front duo of bassist/vocalist Vermin and
guitarist/vocalist Wor seems to be reaching for some more melodic cohesion on
the opener, "Annihilation", while session drummer J.Read becomes more and
more erratic in his distinctively staccato playing style; this creates an
interesting counterpoint throughout Axis of Advance's music. "Sacrifice" is
rife with odd note choices and pulsing dissonance, somewhat reminiscent of
Voivod, yet still contemporary, and, of course, blindingly fast. Either Wor is
smoking more or smoking less, because he is really starting to belt out the
tonsil torture on vocal duty, backed up by some Order From Chaos-like low
roars. "Supremincer" sees the 2 founding fathers of the band in a nice
bass/guitar trade-off, and Wor experiments with some exotic effects on
"Retallahttack". Lyrically, Wor seems to be less esoteric on "The List",
covering specific wars including Vietnam and the "unofficial" war in the
Middle East, as well as many of the scenarios and emotions that can arise in
bloody conflict. The album closes with "Shifter", where Read displays the
best drumming to date in his career, which has also included Conqueror and
Revenge. The cover art and packaging is of the highest calibre, but what else
would one expect from an elite band such as this? Because of their originality
and unclassifiable sound, Axis of Advance seem to be a "love 'em or hate
'em" band, yet I would have no fears in referring fans of any type of metal
their way.
| Tracklist |
1. Annihilation 2. The |
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Torture 3. Sacrifice 4. Massacrion 5. Namination |
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6. Supremincer 7. Retallattack 8. Shifter |
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: 33.58
| Buy other Axis Of Advance albums |
