One thing that stands out about The Matt Parsons Band, a newly formed death/black metal outfit, is the professionalism displayed in his material; Alas, Tyranny sounds like an EP put out by a long running band, not a newly formed solo project.
The music present on this demo is played with great technical proficiency - the guitar work is extremely tight, production is clear and sharp, and the quality of the drum programming is superb; the flow of the drumming didn't so much as hint that the drums were artificial, and the machine-like precision only added to the intensity of the music. The guitars are clean enough that the riffs can shine through in all their pummeling glory, but distorted enough to give the album a layer of heaviness that combine with the drums to create thoroughly heavy, engaging pieces of music. The semi clean, semi distortedness of the guitars also serves to add plenty of Amon Amarth style melody. As for the vocals, they fit in seamlessly with the music; the range employed here includes a deep throaty, death metal growl and a dessicated black metal shriek. Tracks like "The Dragons" are superb, with it's alternating growl-shriek duo, and "Defiance" for its melodic thrashiness, but the standout would definitely have to be "Prometheus", with its epic, sweeping barrage of riffs and propulsive drumming combined with subtle synths floating in the background.
If Alas, Tyranny is anything to go by, the Matt Parsons Band has a bright future ahead of it. Don't be surprised if you're browsing through the catalogue of Nuclear Blast when you come across this name!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
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