The third full-length from this American band fully justifies the genuine enthusiasm of the label's press release and confirms the fairly high standard set by the first two releases. A potent blend of technical death and melodic thrash, seasoned with a light touch of modernity — a recipe that by its very nature simply cannot fail. The guys carve meat with a fervor that some of their Swedish melodeath colleagues — growing poppier by the year — could only envy. They do so with a skill and technicality that would not be shameful to present before the godfather of the style himself — Chuck. Hence the constant comparisons of the Americans to Death (late-period, naturally) and At The Gates. This is the kind of resemblance that the band (credit where it's due) did not adopt as the ultimate blueprint for their work, continuing instead to develop the best qualities inherited from their creative forebears.
My rating, which some may find insufficiently high after such a laudatory review, is merely my concession to my own subjectivity. Forgive me, but I prefer my meat meatier, the chunks heavier, and besides, after all these years of listening to heavy stuff, I still haven't made peace with modernity. Those who do not suffer from such psychological issues can safely add another point.