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Molotov Solution: The Harbinger Deathcore Metal Blade Records June 8th, 2009
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Review
While not really bringing anything new to the Deathcore world, Molotov Solution have created one hell of a brutal Deathcore album with the release of their second studio full length album, The Harbinger. Picked up by Metal Blade Records, there wasn't really too big a push for the band promotion-wise, which sadly caused this gem of an album to slip under the radars of many people who enjoy this style. With the current trend of Deathcore acts writing obnoxiously annoying songs riddled with repetative riffs, lazy as hell breakdowns, and abuse of the "pig-squeel" gutteral style, The Harbinger breathes hope for the slowly dying style. The openner, "Warlords" doesn't really promise much other then some heavy as hell riffs and gutteral-esque screaming that we have all come to love and expect, but it's after this point that the band's pro's kick in. The guitar work on the album is top-notch, as well as very reminiscent of various bands at times. One moment you have shades of Job For A Cowboy, and others bands like Oceano, so again there really isn't anything new being brought to the table. It's how everything is presented, with heavy sounding guitars, and pounding drums that run the gambit of slow and simple to fast and complex. Even the breakdowns themselves sounds punishing with almost every one of them having some great guitar and drum work, avoid the lazy breakdowns that some bands in this style utilize to extend the life of their songs. Of course, I'm talking about stopping the music to hit a cymbol and then wait five seconds before doing it again. Instead, the breakdowns are here, but the music doesn't stop, the flow is not interrupted, and, aside the breakdown at the end of "Corpus Imperium", they are very crushing and will make you want to run to the nearest living thing and beat the living hell out of it. There really isn't much about this album that will let you down. Aside the rough start, "The Harbinger" is probably the only track on here that will come off as insanely stereotypical and pretty much unenjoyable for some due to how the breakdowns are handled. While it's not a lazy-type of breakdown, it's definitely slower and just doesn't have the balls that pretty much every other one on here has, almost as if the band forced them into the track. "Enslaved" is another track like this, except the issue is that the breakdown seems a bit drawn out. The lack of more tracks along the lines of "Only The Dead" and "Atrum Inritus" is a bit disheartening. The ability of adding some background ambience or melody, like it appears in those two tracks, is a nice touch and sounds really good against the pulsing drums. The closing track "The Dawn of Ascendency" is the only real original thing on here, and is perhaps the best track on here. With an amazing introduction, real complexity in the music, as well as being a slower paced song that shows off the all around talent the band has to create a breath-taking metal song, leaving you wishing the band had explored that option on this album, and hopeful they experiment with it more on their next. Overall, The Harbinger is a solid Deathcore album that exhumes a breath of fresh air for the style by actually focusing on writing somewhat complex and heavy breakdowns for the music on all but two tracks, and really presenting an album that honestly sounds heavy and brutal enough to carry the word "Death" in the style tag instead of just going insane with guitar chords and saying it's complexity. If you're a fan of the style, there's no denying that you will accept this band with open arms. Molotov Solution has the potential to break the current Deathcore mold, so let's hope the band continues to explore their possibilities. Until then, this one's a simple kick in the face on repeat, and you're gonna love just about every second of it.
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