Band: Arbalest
Title: Harbingers Of Devolution
Label: Emdis Music / Twilight Records
Distribution: Twilight Vertrieb / Bertus / Plastic Head Distribution
Release date: May 06th 2011
Review: CD

I didn’t know this Austrian band but apparently it isn’t an error of mine. Arbalest were formed very recently (in early 2010) and Harbingers Of Devolution is the debut studio recording. With this recording, the quintet (Michael Schedelberger-v, Manuel Pammer-d, Karl Vogl-b, Wolfgang Vogl-g, and Philipp Vogl-g; the Vogls being brothers, as you could imagine) created a modern and progressive form of Death Metal / Metalcore, with loads of tempo-changes, a perfect symbiosis between technical experi(m)ence and rhythmic drives, and with a sound above expectations. With this last remark, I’m referring to a combination of both intensive brutality and well-balanced interplay. Besides, this band makes use of additional electronics and atmospheric keyboard-lines, pushing these modern melodies away from the usual stuff.
Arbalest’s approach is better, much better, than the main part of the international scene (and better means: not ‘just another’…), but the compositions and song structures do not blow me apart either. However, it is nice to listen to such a slightly refreshing form of modernised Death Metalcore for sure.

70/100

Ivan Tibos.