Soulscar

Vancouver's Soulscar have been forging out their own impressive corner in the Western Canadian metal scene for a while now, with their two previous indie EPs being headbang-worthy slabs of Gothenburg-influenced thrash. Character Assassination, their debut full-length, continues that sound manages to develop it with a healthy amount of quiet interludes and speedy thrashers covering the whole range of human emotions here. These guys continually impress by writing songs that stick in the listener's head, songs that could have been anthems in a time past, and deserve to be anthems now. (I'll take "Interceptor," with the dramatic sounds of a motorcycle cruising off, as my own anthem.) But talk of the past and motorbikes doesn't do this band justice, as this is truly modern melodic thrash with songwriting skills that are up there with current buzz bands In Flames and Shadows Fall, and an aggressive, punchy sound that is as infectious as it is scathing. The band can shred impressively when they want to and keep it tasteful when they need to; they use plenty of memorable melodies and were bright enough to keep the playing time on this one under 40 minutes, all of which means listeners will be coming back for daily dosages of this satisfying and professional album. This band will be signed for their next release, no question about it.