Archons - The Consequences Of Silence

Well here begins the reposts. Bear with me since it gives me some back catalog to work with here. I'm spicing them up with a few comments since most of them were written for sites that didn't exactly tolerate bias or "foul language."

Archon's The Consequences Of Silence begins with a fairly standard intro track (inanely titled: "Intro") clocking in at about a minute thirty, which is basically a collage of riffs with some industrial overtones. The first few tracks of the album are undoubtedly the strongest, with "Plague Of Corruption" being my personal favorite. The song pretty much showcases everything Archons is about: midpaced, melodic riffs with plenty of hammer-ons, pinch-harmonics, acoustic segments, and a few interesting effects here and there. There's plenty of faster segments as well, with the beginnings of tracks like "Obsolete Life Form" and the closing track, "Delusional Beliefs" being some of the fastest on the album.The Consequences of Silence is standard melodic death metal with a bit of a unique flare. It's clearly composed by competent musicians since the musicianship and songwriting is technically sound.

Sadly, after the first four tracks (excluding the intro), the album really takes a dip in quality. The transitioning seems weak on some parts, as the riffs don't really flow together and instead clash to create rather jerking transitions. There's also hardcore shouts on "The Fall Of A Dreamer" and some lame, weak sounding breakdowns which really need to be toned down a few whole steps. The production is also crystal clear, which is both the album's saving grace and downfall. It makes the solos, effects, and the rare high-pitched bassline shine through, however it also makes The Consequences Of Silence sound really wimpy, which is a problem that a lot of melodic death metal bands have to deal with these days. In fact it's like every single fucking band had to ask themselves whether they wanted to be melodic DEATH metal, or power metal with harsh vocals. Which is Archons? Hell if I know. They're all over the place thanks to the iffy production.

This album is pretty easy to put away after listening to it. In fact it's albums like The Consequences Of Silence that made me stop listening to melodic death metal in the first place. Now if it was coherent and well-structured, and if they worked on developing their metalcore elements, then they might have themselves an above average release. I've heard word of a second album coming out, and here's hoping it's sweet because the guys in Archons are clearly talented musicians. Until then you're left with another predictable modern melodic death band that really doesn't do anything to distinguish themselves from the droves of shit Metal Blade and Nuclear Blast pour out every few weeks. Listen at your own risk or if you're a melodic death fiend.

5.25 out of 10

I've never been to keen on this particular brand of melodic death metal to be honest.

Tracklisting:

1.	Intro
2.	Enigma of Torments
3.	Of Pride and Prejudice
4.	Obsolete Lifeform
5.	Plague of Corruption
6.	Wandering the Burning Land
7.	Pulverizing Inner Toughts
8.	The Fall of a Dreamer
9.	Beyond Anger
10.	Delusional Beliefs

Check their Myspace for updates regarding the new album if you're a fan, or if you think they've got potential.