ACHILLES - The Dark Horse

ACHILLES
The Dark Horse
Hex Records - 2005
7/10




Achilles could stand to ride out its grooves a bit more, as heavy as “Every Hour Wounds, The Last One Kills” is, it would be that much more so if the group could stay in one place for more than a few bars.

Still, the sonic demolition engaged in here is a beauty to behold, with deeply slicing licks that cut straight to the heart influencing tortured yelling and desperate sounding vocalizations to achieve their fullest possible potential. An equal mix of DEP style disjointed maneuvering and melodic solid rock; these sonic manipulators find solace in the dramatic qualities of the well placed rests and the riding rhythms of the title track, where we find the band building a flourishing intensity and a strong anti-melody culminating in fine skull crushing fashion.

Achilles venture into progressive waters on the drifting, restless “In Lights”, the track becoming fluid via the loose tom-tom rolls looming behind the scenes, serving to accentuate the forceful attitude the song espouses. This cut contains some truly rugged riffing, as does its “Reprise”, a lumbering, swaying proclamation of density. It would be hard to ask for a song that can be so intimately brutalizing and in your face as “Wake Me When It Thunders”, but Achilles pull the dismal trip off well before launching into fading tonal sludge.

Lack of variety in the vocals still doesn’t make the tracks run together; there are more than enough interesting diversions to keep the interest of the listener. This fact alone allows “This Dark Horse” a major advantage in the horserace to create music with a crushing impact and lasting impression.

ERIN FOX © 2005 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED