Archaios

It's not every day you stumble upon a band from the Spanish Caribbean, let alone a country labelled "third world." How refreshing it is to witness the spread of a global metal revolution, per se, as Santo Domingo natives Archaios (the "Dominican Republic's premier metal band") plunge into melodic, clean, virtuous death metal mirroring the sounds of Arch Enemy and Dark Tranquility. Blast beats with no remorse resonate on album opener "Nightshade" before guitarists Eric Cruz and Albert De Pena rip through dark title track "The Distant," with abundant classic string squeals and tremolo. Guttural vocals by Ramsey Delarge are spot-on throughout, shining on "Dreaming With the Dead" and the Dimmu-esque "My Mourning." With a slower pace and '70s psychedelic keys, instrumental track "Joy of Life" proves that money doesn't buy happiness, making The Distant a rich listen, despite hailing from a country contrarily so.