Some bands are content to pigeonhole themselves into a particular style or genre, but others, like Italy's TRUE LIE, aren't afraid to move outside such strict confines and craft a sound of their own. On "At The First Glance of a Colder Sky," the band's first full-length release, TRUE LIE storm through eight tracks of scintillating Metal.

From beginning to end, "At The First Glare of A Colder Sky" is a veritable treatise on the struggle of the human condition, replete with cathartic moments of expression. The band's sound is rooted in melodic Metalcore, drawing skillfully from the energy of Thrash and the intricacy of Progressive Metal in places. Carlo Stefanucci's clean vocals are adequately melodic but, most importantly, never melodramatic, while his roars and screams command full attention even amidst the band's powerful instrumental performances. "As The Dawn Breaks" washes over the listener slowly at first, with its gentle acoustic guitars chiming softly before suddenly changing directions into a chugging, rage-driven beast. "When Everything Withers" follows it up with an even more dynamic display of aggression, with sweeping soundscapes that are both crushing and almost awe-inspiring amidst the chaos of the band's unrelenting musical assault. Alessandro Salari provides a formidable presence behind the kit, skillfully punctuating his bandmates' riffs while providing a pulverizing backdrop to the proceedings.

"The Hand That Fed Me Lies" and "Reek Of Desperation" employ plenty of fleet-fingered fretboard action with a satisfying Hardcore crunch, while "Will I (The Day I Stood Still)" adds a dimension of Black Metal with its stabs of blastbeats and layered melodies, giving it a different kind of intensity from the caustic thrashing of some of the other tracks. To the latter point, "Just For A While" works in much the same way melodically, though there is a slightly more aggressive tone to it. "Mark Of Cain" brings the album full-circle, with its understated intro and enormous energy and attitude.

Appreciating an album like "At The First Glare of A Colder Sky" should not be difficult for fans of Extreme Metal and/or Metalcore. The band's consistently engaging sound and well-crafted songs bring a vitality to the music that keeps things entertaining throughout. The album has heaviness in spades, but is great because it delivers it in a variety of ways. Shades of TRIVIUM and MACHINE HEAD are apparent at times, but TRUE LIE definitely have a clear vision for their own sound, and they execute it well on this record.