On towards a collision course or the near perfect thunderstorm, right when you think that clarity draws near, you will watch fades from afar. That is how I have been perceiving the American Melodic Death Metal technicians ARSIS. Like a steamroller full of talent and ambition, they have been inflicting empowered progression, which might set a few a direct invitation to an asylum. Back in 2008 the band released its first album with Nuclear Blast Records, "We Are The Nightmare", after several years with Willowtip Records. "A Celebration Of Guilt", the band's celebrated debut, already crossed paths with me earlier on, and like many I found it profound. So the banal question that would arise will be - "Is it better or equal to..?". Frankly, I didn't care one bit as I deemed "We Are The Nightmare" not as a follower but as a standalone album, another part of the band's growing discography. Anyhow, Metal Mind Productions reissued this flying colors of a release, reeking of the progression of Death Metal that had me climbing the walls.

As I said earlier, the near perfect thunderstorm, as there is no such thing as perfect, especially when it comes to music. "We Are The Nightmare" is a cause for utter bewilderment but driven in the ultimate consequence of immense technical mastery. This is one of those albums that won't leave you sitting there quietly, allowing you to breath in and smell the flowers, but rather let you undergo forty minutes of trying to hold the line throughout the race. Analyzing ARSIS's creativity is a gruesome assignment, therefore, all that I can brief deduce from I have been listening to is that James Malone and co. outdone themselves with complicating things, yet coming up with the right methods to inflict pleasure to bestow the insanity going on. Dwelling in the production, the studio work on this release conditioned it to sound clear and breathing, though appeared to be rather thin especially when the grinds came crashing down. Generally, it sounded similar more or less to latest OBSCURA album.

There is not even a single song, or I can all refer those numbers as multidimensional instrumental frenzies accompanied by vocals, the repeats the other, always keeping it distinct. Stacks of classic Heavy Metal melodies and compelling solos along with several riffages that reminded me of late years of the haunting KING DIAMOND but on heavy doses of steroids, rooted deep to serve as appetizers for the listener. However, it is fairly positive that without the manic rhythm section that felt dominant, these multitude affirmations of quality riff making wouldn't have been achieved in full form. I was enthusiastic about "A Feast for the Liar's Tongue", a tune with highly impressive musicianship, as all of them really, but the mixture of various entities of Heavy, Thrash and Death Metal on this particular one were out of this world. I also recommend on "Failing Winds of Hopeless Greed" and "Sightless Wisdom" for your future insanity bliss.

Technical extreme Metal, on most cases, if without a melodic pattern to eat at its conception, would rather feel soulless, smiting as a mere practitioners' display of abilities. ARSIS's stagger fusion on "We Are The Nightmare" had me listening further. No doubt an album that you wouldn't wish to miss as reissued version. Swear an oath to madness.