[4/5] Like Himsa--their fellow At The Gates-worshiping scenemates from Seattle--Chicago's Dead To Fall have been quite literally chugging along since the late '90s (1999, to be exact); and, like that band, DTF have gone through so many lineup changes and stylistic enhancements that, really, they ought to be playing under a different name at this point. But they aren't, and that's good, because otherwise, "Most Improved Band of 2006" honors would need to go elsewhere. The Phoenix Throne, DTF's third album, is packed to the jugular with the expected New Wave Of American Metalcore signifiers--galloping bass pedals, distorted harmony leads, guttural vocals and breakdowns galore--but it also sizzles with the bent, post-Göthenburg shred of weirdoes like Arsis ("Chum Fiesta") and, in damned near every track, the finessed next-level death metal of late-period Carcass. In fact, there are points (the snaking lead near the end of "Smoke & Mirrors," for instance) where the savvier listener might find him or herself wishing Carcass' swan song had not literally been Swansong, but something closer to this beast.
(VICTORY) Aaron Burgess
 Official Website: http://www.victoryrecords.com
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