Metal Band of the Week:
Return From Exile
December 12, 2009 by Kyle BradyTags: Band, Metal, Music, Return From Exile, Review
As required by the FTC, a Full Disclosure is available - this piece adheres to the Code of Ethics
As the titans of old move on to newer sounds, venues, and audiences, new bands inevitably rise to fill the gap – in this case, bands such as In Flames have moved away from their melodically brutal roots in favor of a more mainstream sound, and Return From Exile has defined itself as a worthy successor.
The likeness to the “Jester Race”/“Whoracle”/“Colony”-era In Flames is astounding, with the vocals even approximating a similar range to that which Anders Friden is known for. This is not to say that Return From Exile is a copycat band, because they aren’t – they exist entirely as their own entity, but seem draw heavily from their predecessors, a fact on full display. The music produced by this four-piece from California is fast-paced, thumpingly brutal, and syncopated, but wields melody and intricate musicianship as a tool to cut through what would otherwise be considered borderline black metal.
Running the gamut from acoustic guitars to solos, from blastbeat to melodic phrases, from guttural to harsh vocals, Return From Exile has chosen to blend the best of an era only recently gone with modern sensibilities and interests, to extremely great effect. Even though this band is far from the “heaviest”, “baddest”, “most brutal”, “most talented”, “fastest”, or any other ridiculous labels that might be applied by cynics, they are extremely worthy of attention and success. Perhaps Return From Exile will be the next reigning king of melodic death metal, reinvigorating a subgenre currently out of favor…
Return From Exile can be found on MySpace; their self-titled, full-length debut is available on Amazon [CD] [MP3], as well as their original EP, “Consumed” [CD].
Kyle can be found on Twitter and MySpace, or reached via email.
