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BAND    :: Acrid Semblance

ALBUM  :: Soul Corrosion(E.P)

GENRE  :: Melodic Death Metal

LABEL   :: Self-Released

YEAR    :: 2003

RATING  :: 8/10


Hailing from "Delhi"(India) "Acrid Semblance" delivers pure "Melodic Death Metal" music having abilities similar to some of those earlier era bands like "Children of Bodom","Norther","Inflames" "At The Gates" etc so, I don't think any of the "Death Metal" junta would find any problems to hang himself with this one. I can assure you people that this is the most impressive "Melodic Death Metal" E.P that would easily make space in your music collection. So, here is their debut E.P "Soul Corrosion" and I must say that it is very much admirable and commendable to all the "Melodic Death Metal" junta's.

Tracking down the E.P very deeply, I found that the changes here are extremely abrupt giving the E.P a rather ups and down feel to the music and overall sound. I really don't think  that this would affect the viewpoint of the E.P too much, but other listeners may discover it hard to accomplish. Coming onto the cover art of the E.P, yeah I would say that in comparison to their uncompromising music their E.P covert art sucks to the core. And, this is where all such talented Indian bands fail to mark their presence on the international market. They do not consider it as an important point along with the production of the album and atlast they suffer. As you can see, there is no record label for the sound production of the E.P so I would say,this is actually a pretty good recording for a debut album considering that time period, although it does sound fairly under produced in comparison with the more major label releases. The band musically bears a lot of similarity to "At the Gates", "Children of Bodom", "In Flames", "Norther", but I am pretty confident in their coming albums we will see they will actually surpass in their musical skills and overall composition. So, if you are a fan of "Melodic Death Metal" do not let this band pass in front of your eyes.

As far as the bands music style goes, the E.P "Soul Corrosion" features melodic music, growling vocals,constant pounding over drums and proper feel to capture the attention of the massive death gore's. The guitars jump from chugging riffs to create a melodic atmosphere seamlessly with heavy drums and thick bass.The keyboards here obstinate along with the animalistic drumming and blistering guitars adds a monstrous touch as well.The album kicks off with "Baptized Within", a masterpiece composition with great music and impressive lyrics. The composition is embedded with thick riffs and heavy drum work, along with  growls and keyboards that add nice depth to the track, which leads to destroy the silence of your mental state. Another track from the E.P, which I would like to talk about is one of my favorite track form the band which is called "Quest For Spirituality", it starts off with ambient keyboards. It’s an interesting way to begin the composition, but does not last long as melodic riffs and bass come in, giving the track a hostile feel, which also makes it the highlights of the E.P. The track is pretty melodic with growling execution, explosion of guitars and drums which devolves into churning chaos. The other songs in the E.P are "Soul Corrosion" and "Acrid Semblance" which is the E.P title and the band name itself respectively, both of these tracks have awesome keyboards and symphonic elements to it along with thoughtful lyrics. These tracks are damn violent, that cannot be ignored, especially with the layered guttural vocals and monsterous riffage. Lastly, "Hour Glass Misery", I did not find this track as of "Acrid Semblance" kind, lyrically it is good, but musically not properly executed. I don't think this would matter much considering the whole E.P. However, the E.P winds up itself with the track "Acrid Semblance". Wow! What a hell of a way to end an impressive album.

It looks as though we will need to keep our eyes and ears open for more "Melodic Death Metal" to appear from the growing scene from the "Delhi" circuit. If "Acrid Semblance" is any indication of what is the scene out there, we should expect to see a whole hell of a lot more and diverse "Death Metal" coming our way in the coming future eventually. As far as the E.P "Soul Corrosion" is concerned, it is difficult not to get stimulated for the band’s next release. The E.P "Soul Corrosion" is one impressive debut determined attempt from the band to have their feets marked on the grounds of "Melodic Death Metal".

Pravin Prajapati(LordMessiah)