If you, like many, have always enjoyed the music of Blink-182, All Time Low, and other pop-punk bands, but wished they took more influence from pre-eminent heavy metal and thrash metal bands, it’s definitely worth giving this EP a listen, along with the debut ‘Emerald’.
The second effort from the NYC-based project is a more polished offering than their debut ‘Emerald’, but retains the clean, unfiltered vocal mix that sets this apart from many similar albums, along with the lead guitar licks reminiscent of Iron Maiden and Megadeth padding out otherwise easy to play riffs. The drum performance and mixing is the real star of this work, as the fills are exciting and well performed, and mixed with a nicely sharp, punchy tone that cuts through the wall of sound, adding necessary groove to the songs.
Perhaps the only detriment to this EP is its tendency to be predictable, despite a couple of noticeable surprises, such as the closing riff’s entrance in ‘Under New Kingdoms’ turning into a solo straight from the Marty Friedman book of interesting solos.
Overall, this album showcases an increase in confidence over ‘Emerald’, and is genuinely enjoyable, if a little repetitive.
