Gorefest

Rise to Ruin (Candlelight)
by Tim Den

Rise to Ruin is pretty much La Muerte Part Two, meaning that it’s classic Gorefest: Simple but punishing riffs, varying tempos, political lyrics, and bad-ass breakdowns. The faithful will not be letdown by it, however, it also means that people like me – who’ve been following the band since False – will find little new to sink their teeth into. With so many albums into their resurrected career, I kinda need these Dutch masters to give me a bit more than just the same ol’. And I don’t mean a redirection – the kind that sank the band around Chapter 13 – but perhaps a hotter pursuit for better songwriting. You don’t have to slow down or change genres to differentiate your albums, you just need to write better songs. Gorefest, at this point, are sticking to very tried-and-true song structures that have been used too many times, especially the “let’s repeat the riffs – which sound like last album’s riffs – too many times in every song just so the album’s an hour long.” It makes Rise to Ruin very hard to dedicate one’s self to, cuz by the second song, your mind’s already drifting elsewhere. It’s a shame, cuz I know these guys are capable of so much more. Let’s hope that Gorefest follow this one up with something much more rewarding.
(www.candlelightrecordsusa.com)