All Life Erased
Gian
•
March 1, 2015

After a decade of solidifying the band and releasing a slew of demos, Finnish Death Metal band GIAN have finally released their debut LP, "All Life Erased".
Even the most casual Metal fans are no doubt aware of the storied tradition of Nordic Metal bands, represented a veritable who's who of acts such as AMON AMARTH, KING DIAMOND, and MESHUGGAH. Its safe to say that GIAN definitely honor their roots, as the group's brand of raw Thrash/Death harkens back to the days of DISMEMBER and ENSLAVED with a raw edge that borders on intimidating at times from the sheer intensity of the music.
The band do a good job of mixing the old with the new, which is something of a two-edged sword in terms of effect here. Without a doubt, GIAN is a finely tuned musical machine, pounding out dexterous riffs at a variety of tempos, but this doesn't always lead to truly 'unique' results. Songs like "Trauma" and "No Absolution" scintillate with their deviously dark, twisting musical passages that fit somewhere between PSYCROPTIC and TESTAMENT. Interestingly enough, it's the more complicated/technical offerings like these that leave the biggest impressions, while songs like "Burn" and "A Perfect Shot," though plenty competent, offer more of a by-the-numbers Extreme Metal approach. While there's nothing wrong with straightforward compositions, their simplicity sometimes leaves them to fall short of the mark. This, of course, isn't always the case; "Bloodstorm," for example, combines foot-stomping Metal with bursts of blastbeat-fueled rage, as well as a pleasantly surprising melodic element with its clean-sung chorus, while "Pain and Pleasure" succeeds despite the inclusion of Jampe Honkonen's best Matti Kärki/Tom Araya impression.
The reason I'm being so picky is that I think the band could do better, at least in terms of putting their own stamp on the music. Otherwise, "All Life Erased" is a solid record for fans of Thrash and Death Metal, with plenty of aggressive, unhinged chaos from start to finish.<
7 / 10
Good

"All Life Erased" Track-listing:
1. Trauma
2. Bloodstorm
3. All Life Erased
4. ZombieChrist
5. Self-Immolation Party
6. Burn
7. A Perfect Shot
8. Pain and Pleasure
9. Aggression Unleashed
10. No Absolution
11. Capital Punishment
Gian Lineup:
Jampe Honkonen - Vocals
Lassi Pollari - Guitar, Vocals
Tuomo Laulainen - Guitar
Henri Rahm - Bass, Vocals
Konsta Vehkala - Drums
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