ALIGN THE TIDE is a Metal band from the European country of Malta; I can't think of any other bands from that country so it is a nice experience to see what this country has to offer up the rest of the world for Metal. The band itself was formed in 2015 and "Dead Religion," is their debut.  As of right now they are independent but I hope they garner some attention later because they are clearly a hard working band based on the ten tracks that make up their debut.

I often times roll my eyes at intro tracks-Metal has way too many albums with intro tracks that add nothing to the experience and end up being filler.  However, the one that starts this album, simply called "Intro," is an exception.  The clean guitar and keys work together to make a stunning melody and the drums only compliment it further.   The song finds itself expanding into heavier territory and, although the riffs might be simple, they are extremely effective.  It ends perfectly, melding in with the second track.

"Comedown" is an explosive track, kicked off with Danny's hard hitting snare attack and his crushing double bass.  Kyle's vocals are pretty varied; he can do a screaming/shout combination that is common with Metalcore bands, pig squeals, and Death growls/screams as well.  He shares guitar duties with NIKKI and the two of them play solid riffs throughout the song, caught in between the styles of Metaclore and Groove Metal.  However, much like the vocals, the guitars don't stick to playing just one style.  The lead solo, and the rhythm part accompanying it, towards the end of the song are slick.

"Dead Religion," rips up the airwaves with some strong cymbal attacks on the drums and very dense guitar riffs that hit over and over like waves beating against the shore. The song is held together by the middle, which is an ultra beatdown section of lower end growls and a breakdown on the guitars that smash like hammers."Stillborn," is one of the album's standouts.  The first part of the song is somewhat creepy with the chant like cadence to the clean vocals.  The clean guitar brings out the atmospheric before the song kicks into high gear with nice guitar melodies but it doesn't last-the song speeds up quite a bit and the band finds themselves firing on all cylinders. "Welcome To Hell," is a beast of a song with guitar riffs for days, whipping around the senses while the bass and drums hold it up as a heavy foundation of sonic density.  The solo is emotive as is Gabriel's melodic bass. The song ends in a frenzy of neck whiplash before trailing off, ending the album perfectly.

As a whole, this album a pleasant surprise and an above average release. It is especially impressive, when you consider this is just their debut.  For an independent band, the production is surprisingly clean. This isn't a bad thing, per say, but I think their sound would be better served if it had a darker tone and bite to the riffs. The riffs themselves are always played well and with energy that cannot be denied but it sometimes feels a bit too safe-the band would be better served going all in more often because sometimes the riffs are super simple but at other times they are more than complicated enough to structure the song. Still, there is a lot to like here and I look forward to seeing how the band further develops their ideas and sound.