Send "ARSIS " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 In many ways, Arsis is the one band in the American death metal scene that manages to distinguish itself by playing a different style from the rest of the bands in the scene. However, the way they manage to separate themselves is by latching onto another scene, in this case the European death metal scene. Arsis has consistently drawn much of their sound from Heartwork and Swansong-era Carcass, as well as At the Gates, Soilwork, and (unsurprisingly) Arch Enemy. This is not a bad formula, since numerous other bands besides Arsis have followed it to success in the past; Quo Vadis and Neuraxis are two immediately obvious examples of this. Implementing this formula without becoming stale is something that very few bands are able to do all the time. Arsis is one of the lucky few that can execute the formula and retain the freshness and vitality of their sound, and their latest album, Starve for the Devil, is yet another achievement in this area.The thing that maintains the Arsis’s high level of appeal is that their songs pull listeners in immediately and don’t let go. Starve for the Devil extends this reputation very well, since every song on the album starts out with harsh, aggressive riffs that catch the ear very easily. It is fairly obvious that lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter James Malone wrote this album from an angry emotional space. Every single song on this album is biting, violent, and unforgiving in both riffs and solos. The drums only add to this image, as the return of founding drummer Mike Van Dyne completely reinvigorates the rhythm section of Arsis. In fact, the biggest area of improvement over 2008’s We Are the Nightmare is in the drumming. Van Dyne’s double bass work is at its highest level, and he completely blows away Darren Cesca’s performance (which was still quite good) on We Are the Nightmare....full text |
| Metalinjection |
| From the moment that "Forced to Rock" introduces Virginia tech-death upstarts ARSIS' new album with a piercing series of bended notes, it's clear that this band is jumping into some new waters. "Forced to Rock" is a pomp-metal kick in the crotch of death metal stodginess, a wailing ode to rocking out that's harder and funnier than anything you'll hear from DRAGONFORCE. The Summer Slaughter fanbase may pine for the flagrant complexity of We are the Nightmare and United in Regret, but they'd be missing out on Arsis' catchiest, most versatile and most song-driven album to date. Forget every idea you had about this album from its recording process. The completely new lineup (outside of mastermind guitarist JAMES MALONE) never sound like hired hands, exeecuting monstrous performances on "A March for the Sick" and turning a galloping stoner-metal riff into a hard-grooving epic on "Beyond Forlorn." The best individual moments on Starve for the Devil may not be as startling as the highlights of We are the Nightmare, but they're better structured than ever before. "The Ten of Swords" practically spews out blast beats and tempo changes, and Malone still shreds like he's aiming his solos at music theory students, yet the songs are never too ADD to warrant a few headbangs. Quit agonizing over NECROPHAGIST's adversity to release dates already and take a listen....full text |
| Metalreview |
| When a beloved band puts out new material and your first instinct is to question their motives, it’s usually a bad sign. Unfortunately, a lot of Arsis fans were put in exactly that position by the emergence of Starve For the Devil’s two singles. After the technical shitstorm that was We Are the Nightmare, the bouncy Arch Enemy-isms of “Beyond Forlorn” came as quite a shock. Was this really the same band that produced face-rippers like “Wholly Night” and “Sightless Wisdom”? But the shit didn’t seriously hit the fan until leadoff cut “Forced to Rock” appeared on Arsis’s MySpace. The track’s pop pacing, quasi-hair metal riffs and cringe-inducing lyrics sent up plenty of red flags by themselves, but its attendant video really got people’s dander up. Main-man James Malone sporting eyeliner. Guitars with hot pink highlights. A somewhat gross metal mama (really, Nuclear Blast, you couldn’t find a hotter babe?) awkwardly hip-pivoting along to returning drummer Mike Van Dyne’s peppy backbeats. Arsis, it seems, has decided to gun for arena-metal status. Fickle metal fans were screaming “sellout” before Starve For the Devil even dropped. Such claims are no more warranted now than they were then. Malone has never been shy about expressing his love for big-chorus 80's metal, both in interviews and in Arsis’s songwriting (this band has covered Alice Cooper, for fuck’s sake). There is little question in my mind that the increased prominence of this influence has nothing to do with commercial calculation and everything to do with Malone’s glam-lovin’ heart. So Malone is pursuing his interests. That’s great. Starve For the Devil, unfortunately, is not. Nor is it as bad as a lot of people have made it out to be—the two singles are possibly the weakest songs in Arsis’s catalog, but there are a couple of gems here too (“Closer to Cold,” “Sick Perfection”). Overall, though, Malone’s decision to focus on simpler, catchier songwriting has done away with a lot of the rhythmic intricacy and intensity that have historically made Arsis so appealing. Most of Starve For the Devil is composed of straightforward, thrash-tinted bangers that neither impress nor appall. The band regularly tries to float middle-of-the-road cuts like “Ten of Swords,” “From Soulless to Shattered” and “Escape Artist” with lots of soloing and flashy licks. But every time Malone and fellow axeman Nick Cordle attempt to prop up a track with their admittedly-massive guitar dicks, the tactic becomes less effective....full text |
ARSIS lyrics
|
| |||||||
