It's very hard not to be biased when talking about a band that's from your very own shores, but I shall do my very best.

An increasingly popular sub-genre within Metal is that of Melodic Metal, and that's exactly what the UK's own ENGRAVED DISILLUSION are. Their second album "The Eternal Rest" arrives with a new bassist and vocalist, the latter of which bringing some clean vocals to the mix, differing from the band's debut album. His vocal style reminded me a lot of CARCASS's Jeff Walker, probably due to the way he spits out the lyrics like they were blood in his mouth in the harsher sections, although his softer moments are respectable, as well. The clean harmonies in "Shadows Run Black" are particularly good, suiting the more mellow nature of the track. The solo in the song is worth a mention too, as solos are something that seem to have sadly taken a backseat over the years.

The introductory song to the album, "Life Is..." is a pleasant surprise in the form of a hauntingly beautiful piano track, made all the more atmospheric by the fact that we know it's about to be replaced with thundering guitars.  It transitions perfectly into "Embrace The Flames", too, which in turn is a good all-round song.

The band also demonstrates their ability for heavy tracks, in the shape of "Into Oblivion" and "I Aeternum", the latter of which in particular being a good example. The song changes tempo regularly and eventually settles into a slow, more menacing drumbeat which brings out the fire in the guitars. The mix of clean and death vocals also help to preserve the balance here, as Mathew William Mead once again makes himself known.

If there's one song on the album that I'm not sure about it would have to be "Echoes From A Silent Sky", since despite the fact that it's a thoroughly enjoyable instrumental addition to the record, it is also a bit too close for comfort to METALLICA's legendary "Orion", in particular the opening section. There is of course nothing wrong with drawing inspiration from these Gods among men, but there is an invisible line that only becomes apparent when you hear the finished song, which when crossed seems slightly cheeky. Regardless of whether this is a personal issue, the song is great despite this similarity.

The album ends with possibly its best track, entitled "The Eternal Rest" (no relation to the AVENGED SEVENFOLD song). This nine-minute epic moves through a number of different tempos and vocal ranges, eventually ending with the same eerie piano as the opening track and consequently bringing the album full-circle. It is overall a record that the band should be proud to have under their belt, with some great production and a lot of variety within the sound.