Promising debut from metalcore goodfellas
It's interesting the way metalcore has taken root in Europe over the past couple years. What started as a distinctly American phenomenon has spread across the pond and produced a variety of notable bands such as Cataract, Heaven Shall Burn and Caliban, all of whom have had varying degrees of success with their mixture of chugging breakdowns and Slayer-derived riffage.
Amongst the Old World's newest additions to the metalcore canon is Fightcast, an Italian quintet who present an admirably executed and extremely catchy take on the now tried-and-true genre with their debut album, Breeding a Divinity. From the get-go it is obvious that the band has drawn more inspiration from America's heavy hitters than their European brethren, taking cues from the likes of Killswitch Engage, Hatebreed, and As I Lay Dying. There is no shortage of melodic guitar work, and the vocals alternate between scathing screams and harmony-laden clean singing. Fightcast have studied the source material well and know how to write a catchy tune, creating a sound throughout Breeding a Divinity that's tailor-made to burrow its way into the listener's brain. One of Fightcast's biggest strengths is a very developed sense of composition that is surprising for a debut album.
Breeding a Divinity also benefits from excellent production values, sounding just as good and in some cases better than most "big-name" metalcore releases. Listening to the album, you'd never guess it was the innaugural release from a fledgling label. Breeding a Divinity has the sort of glossy sheen that most bands in the genre would kill for, and it is evident both the band and Kolony Records are aiming high by investing in painstakingly crafted sonics.
If there is one flaw to be found with Breeding a Divinity, it's that the songs do tend to become a bit formulaic by the album's end, in spite of being so well structured. Although Fightcast aren't the most innovative band to carry the metalcore torch, they are extremely good at what they do, and fans of the genre would do well to pick this up. All originality issues aside, Breeding a Divinity is leaps and bounds better than the over-cooked tripe labels like Trustkill and Victory are peddling these days, and there's a lot to be said for that.
| Reviewer: Josh Haun Added: June 9th 2008 |
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