If there's one thing I have to say about Italians, it's that they're always great at what they do. RAGESTORM, an emerging Melodic Death talent with a Thrashy influence, is certainly no exception. After a couple of Demos and EPs, their debut full-length is finally here, entitled "The Thin Line Between Hope And Ruin".  Other than the amazing material, I should definitely mention the outstanding artwork of the album done by Luca Glavani (details here galvani.tumblr.com/ragestorm).

The album kicks off in a vehement way with the tight melodic riffs of "The Meatgrinder Theory" topped with Marke's top-notch growls and shrieks that are absolutely far from anything tedious or boring. In "Debt Ritual" you might sense a PANTERA reminiscence in the beginning before it turns almost Black Metal. This track just keeps proving the impeccable talent of the Italians crafting this solid piece of metal.

Moving to the impossible-to-pronounce "Polysilicotetrapropyvinylfluorethalene" in which we can hear more versatility from Marke as well as more down-right Melodic Death Metal. "Moloch" might confuse you at first and make you feel like there's something wrong with your CD, however it soon turns out to be one of the best tracks on this album. It definitely has some of the catchiest riffs complimented by some compelling chants, a great chorus and especially the cool section preceding the awesome solo. "Idiocracy" certainly accentuates the CHILDREN OF BODOM influence, yet it's another pretty solid, and a lot of credit goes to Tele and his great guitar work.

Just when you think you've heard it all, you are surprised with the "Hari Seldon's Speech" which switches to a completely different mood especially with the industrial-sounding latter half of it. It's definitely a memorable one. The title track has a touch of Prog to it and with all its flawless splendor it pretty much represents the album very well. The album wraps up in the absolute beauty and perfection with "Reaching the Impossible", one of the best songs on this record, ornamented with additional elements such as the ravishing keyboard passage.

Bottom line: "The Thin Line Between Hope and Ruin" is certainly the best debut album I've come across so far this year, a well-crafted, vigorous opus of Melodic Death Metal, devoid of any boring moments or imperfections to complain about.