As Hope Dies

This six-track EP from this young group (between 19 and 21) from Southern California is as damaging and proficient as anything making its way out of the icy climate of Sweden. True, Birthplace and Burial Site owes huge debts to melodic aggressive metal acts such as In Flames, Carcass and At The Gates, but there's a more blackened, extreme air staining the proceedings here, and considering that few American acts that can pull off the New Wave of Swedish Death Metal sound, besides Shadows Fall, As Hope Dies impress quickly and often. It's not new, the combination of harmonised riffs, melodic leads, excessive double kick, sung and shrieked styles, blast beats and blackened thrash/death, coupled with the occasional keyboard soundscape, but when it's done right, there's no denying the potency it possesses. Excellent production only hastens the devastation As Hope Dies purveys, and expectations are climbing for the full-length.