The brutal black metal/death metal hybrid put forth by this six-guy gale from Montana is quite stunning. There is an instantaneous sense of purpose here that belies the assumption from the uninitiated that extreme music of this caliber cannot contain melody, dynamics, art and atmosphere. MORBID ANGEL more than proved this with “Domination” more than a decade ago. Although there is not a whole lot here musically that connects with that amazing album, you still get the feeing that you’re on to something important. The band consists of vocals, two guitars, keyboards, bass and drums. All the instruments blend quite nicely accept for the fact that the bass guitar gets real lost in the mix. It should blend in better with the clicky (way too clicky for my tastes) kick drum. That said, these young men from the Midwest are definitely on to something. These Beyonce Knowles haters have got tha goods.

If the barbarity and precision of “Intro”, “The Enigma Of Fate” and “The Calling” don’t get your juices flowing, then consider yourself a hopeless anal crevice that nobody in their right mind should pay any attention to what-so-fucking-ever. “Ascension Pt. 1” really showcases the guitar chops with harmonies to die for. “Ascension Pt. 2” fetches forth the OPETH influence with the classical and progressive metal. “Procession For The Hellfire Chariot” has a much more of a straight up death metal feel than most of the other material here. The vocals have much to do with this as the speed itself. However, the changing parts in the last third of the tune put the prog to the pedal!

The title track may be the longest composition here (6:15 – not by much), yet the amount of dynamics within keep it fascinating. See if you can count the parts. Aside from it’s immediate predecessor, structure-wise it is the most impressive offering this group has herein. “Prelude” is like a strange mix of EMPEROR/ISHAN paired with “Diatribes” era NAPALM DEATH. “A Season In Hell” carries forth the black and death vocally. The track contains a beautiful acoustic break and transfers the group into early GENESIS territory. “Immaculate Perception” is an all-acoustic instrumental that fuses atmosphere and emotion. The repetitive arpeggio style of the chords lends it a hypnotic feel. This was a chance to show off chops but they chose feel over shred.

- Herring

OFFICIAL SITE: myspace.com/martriden

RELATED ITEMS: MARTRIDEN - "Martriden" EP, 2006