Is the internet solely for the accessing of pornography? The answer according to ‘Avenue Q’ is yes. However, apparently the internet has other uses and forming an international band is one of them as Rival Order found out. Consisting of members from the US and UK, the melodic death metal band have set themselves into a rhythm which has resulted in Rival Order releasing their second EP ‘Beyond the Ashes’.
This is an EP which does exactly what it is meant to do and that is to provide a taster of what Rival Order is all about. This sharp, short taste of decent melo death has an emphasis on the musicianship and that is no surprise as Rival Order consists of members of Mutiny Within and Fallahin Fall with the drums being provided by none other than Megadeth drummer Dirk Verbeuren who stepped in to help out. Verbeuren’s expertise shines through on this EP lending his hand through the entire process which gives ‘Beyond the Ashes’ the Soilwork seal of approval.
‘Beyond the Ashes’ is typically melodic death metal, any heavy metal fan knows what this EP is going to sound like. There is little here that will drag in fans beyond this genre, but Rival Order do this very well and based on this EP, a full-length studio album is something to anticipate.
