Everlasting Ascendancy
Malice Divine
From their EPK, "The album is a dynamic experience while also being an overall more aggressive album than the first one, especially in the vocal delivery. There is still plenty of melody and classical guitar sections, which is a major part of the band's sound. The solos on this album are even more virtuosic than before as well. Lyrically the album explores themes such as the paranormal, revenge, determination, spirituality, and reclamation." The album has eight songs.
"Silenced Judgement" is the first. It's fast and aggressive, with Thrash Metal riffs and Black Metal vocals. The drums roll forward with deadly accuracy, and the gas pedal is firmly pushed and held. "Apparitions of Conquest" is an eight-minute opus. You would think that a track that is this long would have room for some variation...some outside sounds...but it doesn't. The same quickened pace is used throughout. There is finally a slow down towards the end. "Usurping the Paragon" is another burner, and it's clear that the band have no intentions of slowing down. But the song sounds a lot like the others.
"At One with Infinity" slows things down just a bit, but it's still all systems go from start to finish, and with a similar sound again. This kind of one-dimensional sound just doesn't do a whole lot for me. "Reclaimed Strength" is really the first song with some variation. Clean guitars and slow pacing leads off the song. But, the insane pacing soon returns. "Illusions of Fragmentation" is the longest on the album, at nine-minutes in length. Solemn tones lead off the song, leading soon to a charge of sound once again. Again, the pace finally slows towards the end, but you could interchange many of the songs for one another and probably wouldn't know the difference.
The band has talent, so why aren't they using it in the songwriting? That's my question. I get the aggressiveness...that comes through loud and clear. Dynamic? Not that I heard. Most of the songs sound so much alike that it could have been one long track. There are a few breaks every now and again but the pedal was "to the metal" and the car was driving at breakneck speeds.
4 / 10
Nothing special
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Everlasting Ascendancy" Track-listing:
1. Silenced Judgement
2. Apparitions of Conquest
3. Usurping the Paragon
4. At One with Infinity
5. Parasitic Demons
6. Reclaimed Strength
7. Illusions of Fragmentation
8. Everlasting Ascendancy
Malice Divine Lineup:
Ric Galvez - Vocals/Guitars/Bass
Dylan Gowan - Drums (Session)
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