"Gehenna" is the debut full-length album from Icelandic metalcore band Punks of the Empire. "Gehenna" is a mashup of different styles and sounds that varies greatly from track to track, attempting to be many things musically and struggling to be cohesive. Punks of the Empire is the vision of guitarist Hörður "Hudson" Halldórsson and vocalist Magni Ásgeirsson, who are writing music that keeps the spirit of modern metal alive. The music "Gehenna" is incredibly jarring in the changes that occur between songs that range from straightforward metalcore like the track "In The Valley of the Sons of Hinnom" to the almost church-like song "The Path." These vast differences make the listening experience uneven and sometimes frustrating.  "The Path," despite being astronomically different from most of the tracks on "Gehenna," was my favourite on the album and quite pleasant to listen to.

"There May Be Dragons" is a track that could have a lot of potential to be something killer. "There May Be Dragons" has amazing riffs and tight passages reminiscent of thrash and groove metal. Despite the amazing work on this track, "There May Be Dragons" is effectively declawed by the forty-five-second montage of radio broadcasts that mention topics of war, violence, and terrorism. If the montage were split up and weaved into various parts of "There May Be Dragons," it would have created an almost Megadeth-style song that would have been leagues ahead of the rest of the songs on "Gehenna." "Gehenna" feels like it was created to tick the boxes on a modern metal checklist, from the clean (over-edited) vocals mixed with the typical metalcore fried vocals to the songs being overly time-aligned to the point it takes some of the life out of the songs. The drums on "Gehenna" are programmed to the point of feeling lifeless and robotic; not even a world-class drummer can be that precise, and I've worked with a few world-class drummers and have seen many in concert.

Overall, "Gehenna" is disappointing, but some tracks have a lot of potential. I hope that, for future releases, Punks of the Empire will follow more of the sound and attitude of songs like "There May Be Dragons" (sans radio montage) and "The Path." If Punks of the Empire follow the chemistry of those tracks, they'll have something truly special.