As the Metalcore genre slowly morphs into something that is actually good, a lot of the newer bands of the scene are adding other genres and sounds to the mix.  Much like 7^th ABYSS, SPIRIT OF THE FUTURE SUN is one such band that adds in melodic death metal to their assault. After a neat intro, we get into the first real track "Letters from the Cancer Mainlands," a song that hits fast and furious but it sounds basic at times.  Benni and Frick are talented, but these riffs sound like the same old Metalcore riffs we have heard a thousand times before.  That isn't to say there isn't anything interesting with their guitars.  In the same song, there are some cool melodies and melodic rifting, particularly during the chorus.  Speaking of the chorus, we have some major problems with it.  It's catchy, sure, but Aiko Semler's clean vocals are the typical, whiny, weak vocals that every Metalcore band in the history of ever always uses.  I can tell he can carry a tune and that he probably has a powerful voice but he never uses it when doing actual singing.  His growls and yells are much better but they always feel like they are on the edge of really exploding but never quite get there.  He is trapped in that pseudo hardcore throaty yell that is, once again, a boring trope that needs to go the way of the dinosaur.

"Architects of God," features some great lead work balanced with decent riffs but, once again, the clean vocals straight up wreck the song.  Often times it just seems that for every cool moment the band pulls off, another one brings them back down.  Case in point is "The Rivers Who Conquered Perdition," a track that features Chris Clancy (formally of MUTINY WITHIN), another name that means very little, at least based on what I'm hearing. He provides his own vocals but they aren't anything special but the music in the song is.  The beginning is very cool, featuring a nice acoustic intro, supported by some great melodic bass from Kevin Biebwenger. The song is peppered with some nice little leads and a decent solo towards the end.

Going back to the bass, it is often played very well and I found myself keeping my ears focused on it more than any other part of the songs.  "Sceptics of the Universe" is one such song with a nice, thick bass line that really makes the song shine. Likewise Patrick Betz is a solid drummer, very consistent in supporting the band, which helps when the cleans or boring riffs come in and threaten to derail it all. When all else fails, he can always be counted on to bring it through. The highlight of the album is without the cover of DEATH'S "Crystal Mountain" because they actually managed to do a decent job with it.  The fact they can play a DEATH song and do it correctly shows this reviewer the band has way more to offer than they are actually showcasing. SPIRIT OF THE FUTURE SUN is a talented band and one that I hope continue to grow their sound, away from Metalcore  However, as it stands, the elements they still retain from that dying genre are holding them back from being great.