Soulscar Second Full Length

Full-length number two for Vancouver’s Soulscar finds the band honing their excellent melodic metal skills and adding in some new tricks to the mix. The production sound confounds right out of the gates unfortunately, a cold, clinical and compressed sound that eventually worms its way under the listener’s skin, for better or for worse. Once further investigation into the songs begins, all anyone can wonder is, what is stopping this band from being huge? And I can’t tell you, as the mixture of speedy thrash with melodic Gothenburg metal is filled with enough hooks and talented playing to please fans of Annihilator and (pick a name, any name) Dark Tranquillity (that’ll do) alike. What really impresses with this disc and makes it eclipse the band’s debut, Character Assassination, are the soaring melodic vocals from Soulscar mainman Andrew Staehling, which are delivered in a unique fashion that almost sounds like someone with a thick accent speaking backwards, and that’s cool by me. Tracks like "Death Anxiety,” "Cast Aside” and the title track utilise that melodic edge to stunning results, while tracks like the unfortunately named "Hell Bitch” thrash with head down and blinders on, with equally enjoyable results. Big metal labels, are you listening? This is easily better than anything In Flames or Annihilator have released in years.