Dying Vine (CD - 2008)

A Christian progressive death metal band? Is there really such a thing? As evidenced by the sophomore release credited to Aletheian, Dying Vine, there sure is. The album was originally issued back in 2005 (after the group had issued several recordings under the Crutch moniker), but three years later it was reissued with the same exact track listing, in a remixed and remastered form (and with a new and improved front cover to boot!). From the aforementioned description, Dying Vine is an onslaught of metallic brutality, as the death metal guttural growls, razor-sharp high-tech riffs, and impeccable double bass drumming are seemingly nonstop. As with most death metal-esque bands, you'd never know what Aletheian have to say lyrically, as it's darn near impossible to decipher any of the prose without the aid of a lyric sheet (which, wisely, is included in the CD booklet). But despite the group's "Christian spin" on the genre, Aletheian sound like your average, ordinary death metal band, as evidenced by such ditties as "Paragon," "Out from the Shadows," and "The Dividing Line." ~ Greg Prato minimize