A relatively new and upcoming British outfit that releases its debut album with the “romantic” title (and the evenly “sensitive” artistic approach on the cover sleeve) “City of Vultures”. Quite probably some of the hardcore Maiden fans will remember Rise To Remain as they opened some shows of the British legends during their last tour (of course the fact that Rise To Remain’s singer is non other than Bruce Dickinson’s son is not irrelevant at all). So, from a purely musical aspect, what do we get from that debut by the youngsters? A straightforward, “in your face” metalcore that doesn’t leave absolutely any sign of doubt that these guys can really shred and rock! Their compositions set out an energy and dynamism while the band’s performance is flawless!
Without claiming the title of the “best connoisseur of the genre” (I am far from it, actually…), I must point down that when Rise To Remain takes a chance on exploring its more melodic side and come closer to…let’s say, Bullet For My Valentine, the result is stunning. That being said, the aforementioned comment doesn’t hide any trace of criticism in regards with their harder side…quite the contrary! It’s just that there are 2-3 numbers in there that could have easily monopolized the interest of the heavy metal airwaves.
All in all, this is a very promising debut and all that remains is what the future holds for the British lads…they must be really careful and weight their options as metalcore may be popular nowadays but no one really knows what will happen in 2-3 years.
Highlight: “City of Vultures” is ideal for fans of Bullet For My Valentine, Killswitch Engage and probably The Devil Wears Prada.
