Arise - The Beautiful New World
Arise are not a new band, they were formed way back in 1994, by drummer Daniel and bassist Patrick. The current line up now also includes L-G Jonasson on guitar and Erik Ljunqvist on vocals. It is easy to distinguish what their influences are, as a band they started out covering the likes of Sepultura, Machine Head and Pantera. Another big giveaway is the name: "Arise" is taken straight from Sepultura themselves.
It wasn't until April 2000 that the band released their first professional demo 'Abducted Intelligence', which in turn attracted the attention of Spinefarm records. In May 2001 Arise recorded their first full length album 'The Godly Work Of Art' which saw release in November of that year. In 2002, after a European tour, Arise began work on their second album, 'King of the Cloned Generation', which was released in May 2003. This brings us up to date with the release of 'The Beautiful New World' the third album from this Swedish metal act.
The album is generally fast paced and aggressive, full of brutality and anger. The opening track 'How Long Can You Pretend' kicks the album off into a furious rage. From listening to this album, it's clear to see that Arise have moved away from the sound of their early influences. The sound is more thrash with hints of death metal, and a Scandinavian edge. I think that Arise have attempted to create something which combines aggressiveness with melodies, but I am not entirely convinced that they can pull it off. The basic key seems to lie within the vocalist, and his ability to cover a range: from aggressiveness to emotion within a flash. Machine Head's Rob Flynn would be a perfect example - however, I can't see Arise pulling off any Police covers! Lead singer Erik only appears to do Dani Filth, Dani Filth on speed, and the obligatory metal grunt.
All the tracks on this album have great intros, which give way to angry guitar riffs, brutal drums, and raw vocals all the way through. There are a few tracks that are notable, King of Yesterday, Slave of Today, which are sure to please most metal fans, as are Dreams Worthy Gods and the aforementioned How Long Can You Pretend. My only real criticism is that it all blends into each other a little too much, and some of the tracks sound the same as each other. There isn't really anything on here that stands out particularly, nothing to remember them by. However, despite my doubts, this is a good effort from Arise, although I do not see them breaking into the international market in the near future.
The Beautiful New World is available now through Spinefarm records.