From Bandcamp, “The concept album “Afterlife” depicts an interdimensional being that stalks life in our universe because it represents a threat to existence itself. The human species, or at least what it has become after the events described in the previous creations of Angel Rising, is now its target. The cover shows the hero, Asai, struggling with a horde of undead, and unaware of the even greater danger that awaits him.” The album has eight songs.

“Utopia” is first. The opening tones are heavy and aggressive, with a bit of melody, but I don’t care for the cadence in the vocals…it gives the song a Nu Metal quality. The riffs are also a bit simple for me. The title track is still tinged with that Nu Metal sound. The bass work is decent here but that’s about all that I can really champion. “Hell Bent on Rampage” is another overly simple song. When a band is interested in make riff-based music, the riffs have to carry the load. They just don’t so far on the album. The vocals are decent, but the music flounders and doesn’t really go anywhere.

“Reign of Torture” is even worse. The slow, plodding riff is plagued with too many pig squeals and it never gets off the ground. “In Nomine Regis” is the first song that embraces a dark melody in the opening, and it is quite pretty, though very short. “Dominion” picks up where the previous song left off, and features a decent riff this time. From there however, the song goes into strange territory with dissonant connections. “Work Out Blood” is yet another miss, and the album seems to be full of them. “Endless Sorrow” closes the album. It has another odd, misplaced sound.

Overall, the album had a few interesting/diverse moments, but it fell flat overall. Besides the heavy quality of the music, I had difficulty figuring out where the music was headed. Without being too critical, the album suffered from a lack of interesting riffs, energy, and really everything else that would make it stand out.