PROSPER OR PERISH is a Death Metal/Deathcore/Melodic Death/Thrash/Progressive Metal collective from Philadelphia, US. Their new record, "Shroud of Serpents," is a well-crafted mix of all the mentioned genres done in a charming manner where every aspect receives the most careful attention. Each element of their music is naturally entwined with the other. It sounds excellent, kicks hard, and seldomly gets boring. Even if you don't like some of its parts, the sum will satisfy your hunger for attractive and melodic Death Metal that remembers its roots but does not go modern when it sees fit.

I will briefly start with things I didn't like about this record. For starters, all the non-instrumental tracks sound a little overloaded with vocals. They aren't bad vocals. However, it's just that there is a fair share of moments on "Shroud of Serpents" where they make the music hard to comprehend. That's a shame because PROSPER OR PERISH is blessed with significant performing talent. Their music would only benefit if they allowed it to breathe a little without being overlayered by THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER-style extreme vocals most of the time. Such density of vocals makes some songs on "Shroud of Serpents" sound slightly overwhelming at times, which is a shame.

Luckily enough, this is where the disadvantages end and the advantages begin. "Shroud of Serpents" is packed with great riffs and good ideas. There are great guitars and outstanding drumming on most songs on this album. It is probably not that well-established in terms of the personality of the sound. Still, this lack is compensated with good execution of unique approaches peculiar to variations of Death Metal, Core-music, and Thrash. The fusion is seamless, although the Melodic Death aspects prevail as a dominant basis of PROSPER OR PERISH's music, with other elements contributing their share equally. The sound on the album is rich and crisp, too. Each instrument sounds decent and takes the right place in the mix. That is, both in compositional and technical terms, this album is competitive and full-fledged.

Perhaps, PROSPER OR PERISH sounds a little too much like THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, but it seems to have something of its own to contribute. I could wish for a little more personality from this band because I think it deserves it. It's a top-notch Melodic Death Metal that nails everything that a good metal band should nail. But a little more of the PROSPER OR PERISH in PROSPER OR PERISH would be even better.