BROTHER VON DOOM

Dayton, Ohio's BROTHER VON DOOM spared no expense in enlisting Andreas Magnusson (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, THE ACACIA STRAIN, SUICIDE SILENCE) to produce and Fredrik Nordström (AT THE GATES, DIMMU BORGIR, ARCH ENEMY, IN FLAMES) to mix "Relentless". The sound is pulled tighter than a trampoline and every note played is precise beyond belief, almost to the point of sterility if one were to split hairs. No one can say that the boys can't play their instruments though. The guitar work overwhelms with an overflow of ATG harmonies and impeccable interplay. Truth be told, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER worship is getting a little played out these days, largely because some of the act's personality gets sucked out of the air in the process.

If nothing else, BROTHER VON DOOM knows how to make a song rip serenity to pieces and shake foundations, the title "Relentless" saying more about the delivery than anything I could write to describe it. This is a full frontal attack that never allows a second for respite. The staccato beats and blasting mayhem will fray nerve endings, while the vibrations from the now overdone down tuning will be felt several blocks away. Brian Baxter and Tate Matthews are without a doubt masters of the shred and keep the sparks flying the entire time. Vocalist Justin Wilson sports a somewhat unique brutal growl, periodically alternating with requisite maniacal shrieks, even though he plays it a little on the safe side in the pattern department.

Clearly, there is nothing wrong with the musical execution and, generally speaking, compositional style, especially for those that can't get enough of America's liberal borrowing of the Swedish sound. So what's the problem? Well, it's not a big one, only that it can be a bit much due to a dearth of track variation. While "Judas Kiss" stands out a bit from the pack because of its melodic construction, all but those undyingly devoted to a thorough dissection of "Relentless" will have difficulty naming a song randomly picked from the 10 selections. Maybe I've just been exposed to too much of this Swedish melodic death/thrash obeisance on the part of the Yankee youth. It surely isn't a case of "Relentless" being a poor effort; the playing is just too damn good and the unhinged ferocity of it all is undisputed. Something just seems to be missing to keep "Relentless" from being a tour de force, instead of a solid album devoid of some degree of personality. My guess is that "Relentless" will still find a lot of admirers.