Fall Of Carthage – The Longed-For Reckoning

Review by Carina Lawrence / Dark Art Conspiracy 

This German thrash trio came together in 2014 to push boundaries and create something unique and genre defying. And in a short space of time have proven that this is not just a side project of Arkadius Antonik (SuidAkrA, Realms Of Odoric) and Martin Buchwalter (Perzonal War), who brought Sascha Aßbach on vocals, after a long absence from the music scene. They released their debut album ‘Behold’ in 2015 and now in 2017 they want to take their sound even further with their sophomore album, ‘The Longed For Reckoning’. Dark Art Conspiracy were proud to premiere the new album before the release…

Opening track and first single ‘Fast Forward’ breaks us in with a delicate, beautiful and eerie intro before the full darkness is unleashed and packs a hefty punch, with hints of other popular hard rock/metal bands such as Five Finger Death Punch coming through. The crashing drums and rapid chunky riffs drive the song with fierce and powerful vocals from Sascha Aßbach which fit in perfect harmony with the heavy backdrop of carnage…
‘Sick Intentions’ is a relentless slab of heaviness with wicked guitar riffs and ferocious and skilled drumming giving it a very belligerent sound. The chorus is reigned in for effect, but makes a massive impact which is very memorable. Their delivery has industrial and raw elements, offering great variety in and within each song. ‘Swept To The Edge’ is an infectiously catchy head banging anthem which possesses such authority and all-consuming presence, this see’s the band at their best.
They offer some breathing space amongst the brutality and mix things up by switching to a serene yet slightly unnerving sound with the likes of ‘Complete’ being reassuring and almost therapeutic, with lines such as “Breathe In, Breathe Out” before the full instruments kick in for high impact – this is cleverly structured and delivered. The band have many surprises up their sleeve…
The interestingly titled, “Whodini Peckawood” goes back to the rap metal vibes seen earlier and ties in with ‘Complete’ offering a more stripped back approach. This is a bad ass rap with limited vocals largely consisting off “Whodini motherfucker, peckawood motherfucker” conveyed in an unhinged manner, before trailing off into what sounds like a ritualistic tribe chant…well that was unexpected…
They truly flourish when they are rampaging on the heavier side with must hear songs, ‘Paint In White’ and ‘Bury The Crisis’ which features anthemic gang vocals that keep adrenaline running high.
Final track, ‘Black December’ embraces the best parts of the band’s sound, and therefore makes a forceful lasting impression once more.
Sascha Aßbach is an interesting and impressive vocalist, managing to combine elements of many legendary metal front-men such as Corey Tayler, Robb Flynn and even a touch of Phil Anselmo, this is a compliment, however on the other hand, it makes it slightly harder to define the bands signature sound with many comparisons flying about, but on the whole they do maintain their ground and signature flair.
This second release offers many different sounds, making it largely experimental, ranging from industrial vibes to rap and even a glimpse of grunge thrown in for good measure. It should appeal too many, however it may leave some metal heads a little bemused, but generally it provides something for everyone, and shows the band aren’t afraid to digress and explore other territories, rather than just a full blown thrash assault. Whatever direction they do, whether it be a rap medley or an all hell breaks loose metal anthem, they are giving it their all and should be highly praised for this.

Score: 4/5
https://www.facebook.com/FallOfCarthage/

https://fallofcarthage.com/

#darkartconspiracy #metal #review