DIE AMONG HEROES – S/T 2009

Austin, TX

Die Among Heroes is the answer to the boring, Metal-by-numbers crap we’ve been submersed in ever since MTV aired the new Headbanger’s Ball.  These five guys from Austin form a unit that takes the old with the new sounds and fuse them together into a viable force.  The one drawback to this disc, and I’ll get this out of the way, are the acoustic interludes between almost every song.  These songs are not poor quality by any means, but they are a bit much on a Metal record tallying in at three of the eight tracks on the disc, if you include the intro.  Acoustic tangents aside, the debut form Die Among Heroes is a disc worth obtaining.  “In the Event I Don’t Return” kicks this album off in your face with a dual guitar wall of melody and heavy groove rolled into one, which set the tone for the other, full, songs.  Chase’s vocals are the right blend of powerful scream with a melodic melancholy that brings the disc into a new territory of blended vocals.  This album is built on a foundation of grooves that dig into your memory and stay with you for days.  “My Failing Attempts” takes this groundwork and layers some guitar melody and vocal prowess to make a ferocious combination.