By: Anders

Posted: Apr 13, 2006

To be honest, I hadn't expected that much of this album. Straight edge metalcore from Germany, wasn't a thing I could see myself enjoy. And it will be a lie to say that this album was an instant hit or will go over in the history as a big album. When that is said, there are some good elements and hard-hitting songs on it.

When the disc starts to spin, generic metalcore comes to mind fairly quickly. The way the band composes their songs, with good hooks, easy eatable melodies, catchy riffing, complex breaks and the ever tortured vocals, a heap of bands and releases comes to mind. Though Maroon has the ability to vary their music well, both within the single tracks and throughout the album. The hardcore part of the band is the better on here in my opinion. The harsh metallic hardcore riffs rip the ears and make the music and tense atmosphere seem close and furious. While the melodies make it all a bit too calm and takes away the edge. The same goes for the vocals, when the hardcore scream churns out the highway, full of spite and disgust, one can feel the energy and frustration. When it becomes too calm, melodic and at times whiny, it loses its magic and raw approach. The couple of acoustic intermezzos and the instrumental kind of ambient track 'The Omega Suite pt. II' are nice, in between of fitting and not fitting, though in the end, the soothing calmness they create feels nice and compliments the atmosphere on the album.

Heavy breakdowns, moshing madness, brutal and tense hardcore, mixed with melodies and softer and modern influences, are what Maroon has blended together on this album. There is a good tense atmosphere surrounding the release and it seems like the band has an important message or 2 to deliver upon us. Though as I haven't read the lyrics, I don't dare to come closer into this for now. The production of the music is good, heavy and detailed, perhaps the drums are a bit too artificial sounding for my taste, though as they are, they get clearly through the layers of crushing guitars. The guest performance of Mikkel Sandager from Mercenary is good, his clean and melodic vocals fit greatly into the track 'Annular Eclipse', besides that Roger Mirret from Agnostic Front should have delivered screams here and there on the record. Maroon can spellbind me when the deliver their straight out metallic hardcore, though looses me when it becomes too melodic and metalcore-like, a damn shame but the tough truth.

Rating: 5/10

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