Finnish death metallers, Wrathwrone have been at it since 2008 although haven't quite made any impact in the UK as yet.

 

Tests me as to why, as these guys set themselves apart from quite a lot of their genre contemporaries in that their style is surprisingly commercially acceptable in notable intervals. Lashings of speed-metal rhythms do come served hot but amidst many various and unexpectedly hooky structures, and some swish but not too overwrought prog arrangements. Choose between the toe-tapping triple-step elements of 'As The Knife Cuts Deep' and the Megadeth-meets-Anthrax mid-throttle pace of 'Darkness Concealing Chaos' with its cruising solo sustains.

 

'We Feast on Fear' speeds along as ferociously as standard until it stomps its way through a catchy chorus line, while 'Web of Lies' switches on an old school engine with NWOBHM smoke shooting out of its exhaust. Closing entry 'Sane - Insane' continues this tradition, commencing with plush Maiden-peppered soloing that slides onward into the more formulaic body of the track. It's not every day I get glued to my set throughout the entirety of a death metal album and then aim for the repeat button right away again, but Wrathwrone have set quite a high bar with this one.

 

One of the few occasions where I wouldn't have actually minded this sort of release lasting a bit longer than just 32 and a half minutes.

 

Impressed!