To put it simply, yes, it does. Don't be fooled by the extremely boring and longer than necessary intro track, Delenda is hardcore insanity, pure and simple. FASSW is another one of those bands who happens to throw death metal into the mix of their music, but they don't try to be another one of those bands who try to make both blatently obvious by jumpig styles mid-song. Proof enough of this is the track "The Crusher" which, while heavy as hell with great gutteral growls, also has a hardcore melodic element with singing.

There are some somber moments on the release, like the instrumental "For Those Lost" and the extremely lighter track "Ghosts Over Japan", but let's be happy those are basically it. The singing on "Ghosts Over Japan", as well as "Mourning For Morning", just does not work at all and could be a hell of a lot better. The band should definitely stick to write songs like "Soft Green Fields". However, all that aside, the band's ability to create a very haunting atmosphere to their music by simply using their guitars properly is enough to make this release stand out.

So aside the few tracks that simply should not be, Delenda is by far the band's best act. While there are gutteral vocals here and there, the band doesn't try to be a death metal band that likes breakdowns. While the sound is definitely a nice change of pace in the hardcore world, there are better release out there. However, with the progression this band is making, it won't take much longer for them to completely obliterate everything in their path...well, atleast musically.

written by Jason Thomas Weiss

Playing time: 42.23