xDEATHSTARx „The Triumph”

Metalcore
26.24 (10 songs)
Cool songs: Seven, Scars, Die To Remain, The Triumph.
www.lifesentencerecords.com

The inevitable Slipknot comparisons arise when taking about xDeathstarx. Not because they sound like them (no, the only similarities here are the distorted guitars), but because they comprise of eight members! Granted, it’s a tenuous link, but hey, eight member straightedge hardcore bands are a rare breed you would agree. xDeathstarx actually take things a bit further, because on further investigation it turns out that they employ no less than FOUR vocalists!

I’m not actually convinced that Metalcore/Hardcore is so diverse a genre that it needs FOUR vocalists to covey its overtly tough-guy emotion and attitude, but xDeathstarx obviously believes there is merit in pursuing the idea. It’s a novel selling point (or gimmick, take your pick) but whatever the case, in listening to ‘The Triumph’, I found it pretty difficult to identify four different voices. It’s all shouty, gang style anthems. It could have been one vocalist and the result would have been the same.

Vocalist overload aside, xDeathstarx do exactly what they say on the box. Straightedge hardcore/metalcore – lots of mid to past paced compositions with that added ‘Hatebreed’ metallic crunch given the tweak in the riffs. It’s a pity that the less than favorable production lets the impact of their song writing down a tad. ‘The Triumph’ has a strange guitar sound – dirty, raw and cutting it most certainly is, but it appears that all ‘treble’ knobs were set on 10 during its recording, rendering the sound devoid of a thicker, more powerful bottom end, surely a mandatory requirement for any good metalcore disc.

I cannot question the conviction and attitude with which xDeathstarx have put this disc together. There is a passion, energy and belief in what they do that shines on this disc. However, it will be necessary for xDeathstarx to come up with some added diversity in their songwriting as what you get here is certainly nothing new. It’s simple, straight up metallic hardcore, but it’s been done way better by a whole swag of better bands. ‘The Triumph’ is a promising start, but there is a long way to go.

note: 6/10

Tracklist

1.Seven
2.Bullet
3.Suffocate Faster
4.True Believer
5.Scars
6.Represent
7.Die To Remain
8.Walk Away
9.The Triumph
10.Red Asphalt