Arsis United In Regret

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Reviewed by: Cory   //   Published: 11/15/2006

In the last few years, Willowtip Records has quickly become the most consistent and (arguably) most innovative label in metal. While they certainly weren't the label's first band, Celebration of Guilt was one of the label's breakthrough releases and Arsis have made quite a name for themselves touring behind that release and its follow-up EP, the ambitious Diamond For Disease. Two years later, the melodic death metal duo have released United In Regret, an album that wows by expanding the band's repertoire and building upon their already impressive foundation of melodic death metal with a little bit of everything imaginable thrown in.

Most notably, the band has placed even more emphasis on melodic leads and solos this time around and they make it work in every instance. I'm not saying that the band's songs weren't already catchy metal tunes, but I've had various tracks from United In Regret stuck in my head for days at a time, especially the disc's title track and "Lust Before The Maggots Conquest." It's not necessarily surprising that the addition works so well, but it is encouraging that Arsis weren't content to rest on their laurels and wanted to continue developing their sound. James Malone has to be one of the single most gifted songwriters playing metal today and Michael Van Dyne's drumming is equally inspired.

While one could make the argument against fixing what clearly wasn't broken, I personally commend the band on the slight directional shift, as it is a logical one that fits perfectly with the band's previous material and shouldn't alienate any fans. There are a few melodic passages that could rub certain extreme metal enthusiasts the wrong way, such as the middle segment of "I Speak Through Shadows," but these portions add a certain variety that the band didn't display quite as prominently in the past. Another minor tweak Arsis made on this release is the implementation of slightly cleaner production. Not only does it help the guitars to shine, it also gives Malone's vocals a lot more presence.

Bottom Line: Arsis are unquestionably one of today's premier melodic death metal acts and United In Regret is another in a series of strong releases. It makes its way easily into my top ten metal releases of the year and will most likely wind up in a similar spot with most fans of the genre. United In Regret, while it might be ever so slightly less amazing than their debut, is an incredible sophomore release from Arsis and sure to be an essential part of any metal fan's collection for years to come.