Affliction Gate

Dying Alone

BY Chris AyersPublished Jan 5, 2016

8
The most headbanging (and head-turning) French death metal band since Loudblast, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur's Affliction Gate blaze out of the starting blocks with Dying Alone, their fourth release since 2008. This four-song EP exemplifies how influential DM bands in the early '90s were on subsequent generations. "Negative Lucidity" spurts forth in a Grave-robbing firestorm, with guitarist Bobby proffering a tastefully melodic solo.
 
"Devising Our Own Chains" may have astute fans checking the liner notes to find out if this is a Bolt Thrower cover; it isn't, but it's a very close read of the Gavin Ward/Barry Thompson guitar interplay that made that band so essential. Vocalist Herostratos sports an Asphyx timbre, evident in the plodding intro of the title track, while "Manicheism Inertia" is a furious, Incantation-style number that turns more toward Unleashed halfway through the track with huge, At the Gates-like bridges. Affliction Gate have produced quite a noteworthy release that promises an even more demolishing followup.
(Transcending Obscurity)

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