By Phil Cooper
Hailing from Finland, melodic death metal five piece Re-Armed have been around since 2001. During which time they’ve released several critically acclaimed albums as well as numerous EPS as well as undergoing line-up changes along the way. They’ve sought to incorporate a number of elements through their releases including death, thrash and symphonic edges. Their sound has led to them gaining a wide fanbase as well as appearances with a variety of different bands and slots at some of Europe and Asia’s notable festivals. Will the new album allow them to expand on what they’ve already achieved?
Over the course of ten tracks, ‘Ignis Aeternum’ offers up a solid slab of melodic death metal. There’s catchy riffs and lead melodies paired with symphonic layering and dynamics that provide a broad soundscape. This is all packaged in an encompassing heavy groove produced by the powerhouse rhythm section. Vocally, the delivery varies between different phases. While they are undeniably heavy in substance, the range is often lighter than that of other bands of this genre. Indeed, overall, the vocals are somewhat cleaner than those found on previous Rearmed albums. This does match well with the layered sweeping symphony found on opening tracks ‘Dive Within’ and ‘Beyond the Horizon’.
Don’t let that deceive you, while these opening tracks do go more towards the lighter end of the spectrum. Tracks like ‘Eager to Collapse’, ‘Resistance’ and ‘Remain Unbounded’ are packed full of gutturals, punishing riffs and pounding rhythm that showcase all the hallmarks of the death part of melodic death metal. Throughout the album, Re-Armed are able to illustrate all the aspects of a tight unit that know their chosen genre and how to execute the technical elements required. They fulfil the heavy aspects excellently and counterbalance these with well crafted melodies weaved into each track. They can match a heavy-set riff lead juggernaut with a more delicate symphonic based number as shown with the aforementioned tracks. They’re also more than capable of penning an anthemic number in the guise of ‘Voyager’. Once again, falling very neatly into the melodeath genre category yet with an additional edge courtesy of the harmonic layering and dynamic shifts, ‘Voyager’ is elevated into a track that would definitely work well live (whenever that may be), for now it’s certainly a standout moment on the album.
With this latest release, the Finnish metallers have certainly brought forth a collection of tracks that showcases their talent as musicians and songwriters. The melodic death metal genre is already fairly well packed with big names. It’s not going to be an easy one to be able to stand out in. However, with the ability Re-Armed have shown to incorporate elements that are more than the norm, they’ve definitely got a chance at being seen as worthy of bigger bills and festival slots once live music is back up and running. For fans of the genre, this album would be a worthy addition to the record collection as well as providing an excellent advancement for the band’s back catalogue for the Re-Armed fanbase.
- ‘Ignis Aeternum’ is released on 5 June. You can get your copy HERE.
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