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Archives Of Alaska

Archives Of Alaska EP

Written by: PP on 29/03/2017 21:36:12

Roskilde, Denmark-based Archives of Alaska released a self-titled debut EP back in December with four tracks that essentially belong to any textbook describing metalcore circa mid-2000s era. Throwbacks to familiar sounds by Killswitch Engage, older As I Lay Dying, or even local metalcore crew Malrun are all over the place where the focus is on dynamic riffs and a strong clean/scream dynamic throughout.

Being their debut material and self-released on top of that, the production is what it is. The vocals are unpolished and too rough, leaving especially the screams too anonymous and dime-a-dozen to stand out in a saturated genre. The clean vocals draw inspiration from the modern soundscapes of Raunchy and other Danish modern metal bands while blending together influence from the international metalcore scene (read: slightly cringeworthy, emo-esque delivery).

Instrumentally, the band is much better. The good moments suggest plenty of promise going forward: the lush guitar melodies during "Concerta" draw parallels to the melodic hardcore beauty of bands like Hundredth, whilst "You Are The Morning" and "Animal Heart" combine shredding and breakdowns with some promising leads that could amount to something on a future, better-produced record. However, as it stands now, the overall impression from these four songs is rather average. It may be true that the metalcore bands playing similar style can be counted with one, maximum two hands within Denmark, but internationally the standard is simply far beyond the reach of Archives of Alaska's current state of songwriting.

Download: Some Just Vanish, You Are The Morning
For the fans of: As I Lay Dying, Malrun, Hundredth
Listen: Facebook

Release date 08.12.2016
Self-Released