Arise

The Reckoning

Regain Records 2009

Leave it to the Swedish to hone and refine their own Gothenburg sound to a chugging melodic beast as is the case of Arise.  Possessing of a modern death thrash sound not unlike many of their countrymates, Arise meet in somewhat of a middle ground somewhere between the heavy groove of Grave and the melodic leanings of Dark Tranquillity without being near as artsy and technical.  Attempting to mimic its namesake, the opening track, Adrenaline Rush is a lightning quick thrashfest filled with precise drumming, a myriad of breaks and a blistering guitar solo.  No Memory of Light is a perfect example to frame the music in this context.  A bouncy groove married with a broken melody is the engine driving this track which occasionally drifts into mildly sorrowful leads.  Pitch Black has distorted spoken word vocals against a back drop of guitar squeals and huge chugging riffs.  Reclaiming the Soul's main riff is a catchy melody that causes a nostalgic lead to surface and reminds me of Dark Tranquillity at their most stripped-down.  The album's finale, End of Days is a four minute, speedy melody fest as it alternates between trembling leads and sorrowful passages reminiscent of At the Gates at their most forlorn.  The production is sharp, polished and professional.  The guitars have a real heavy crunch to them.  Arise is competent and more enjoyable than a lot of their peers but are really breaking no new ground and The Reckoning could easily be lost against the background noise in this glutted style.