By: Anders

Posted: Sep 21, 2006

This new Danish band, which formerly was known as Scavenger, is now ready with their debut album "The Machinery Of Oblivion". The band released one demo under the previous name and that caught Metal Blade's interest, now a year later the band is back with the more original name The Arcane Order and the horde of guitarist Flemming C. Lund, vocalist Kasper Thomsen, bassist Boris Tanderup and drummer Morten Løwe Sørensen is ready to cement the position of Danish metal on the map!

The band delivers a furious blend of modern death/thrash, they incorporate a lot of melody into the game and gives it the final touch with a good deal of electronically elements in the form of samples, keys and synth-work. Flemming has always delivered a lot of great guitar-play on the albums he has participated on, and that hasn't changed a bit, there are many good riffs, great melodies, sweeping leads and high-class solos on "The Machinery Of Oblivion", the guitars drive the record a long way. The intensity in the songs is a plus as well, there is a lot of sheer infectious energy in the music, good song writing with the focus on the right elements, even though it would be much to say the album sounds and seems original all the way through. Too many things can be traced to bands as Fear Factory and Mnemic and a lot to the Swedish death metal scene as well, especially the guitar tone and approach during many of the grandiose melodies sounds a lot in Flames inspired, hell there are even parts there sound a lot like newer Hatesphere, just give the track 'A Sevenfold Condemnation' a spin.

What the band lacks in originality they have in musical performances, all from the already mentioned guitar-play to the drumming, to the bass lines to the electronically side of the things are all delivered really well and it is hard to become bored while listening to "The Machinery Of Oblivion". The screamy vocals are also delivered really well and fit the music perfectly, and add a bit to the slightly claustrophobic and cold atmospheres there sneak in here and there, a good match. And the few places where producer Jacob Hansen delivers his clean vocals, a new level is reached, and a higher wholesome is created, the match of Thomsen's scream and the fragile clean vocal works really well.

If modern death/thrash with electronically elements and with a lot of cold and brutal passages and melodies are up your alley, then this album will hit it right off with you. "The Machinery Of Oblivion" might not be the most original album delivered in this type of music, but it is still quite good. The songs are well written, the elements fits well together, the level of energy and intensity is high and infectious, when you push play, it's tough to hit stop again. A good debut album from this new band, and I am sure we can await a lot of killer things from The Arcane Order in the future, they of all, have the means to conquer the metal scene and carve their name in stone.

Rating: 7/10

The Arcane Order website

Distributed in Denmark and kindly supplied by Target

Buy the album at

Buy merchandise at

Print