Sound: From the start, Across The Sun brings it. The piercing snare drum/synth intro to the intro track, "Tipping The Scales", grabs your ear like a MMA chokehold and doesn't go until the 40 minutes are up or you tap out. You don't want to tap out.
Across The Sun mixes all the "big" genres of metal together ala Between The Buried And Me or Protest The Hero to create a coherent and stunning debut release. They combine the progginess (it's a word) of Dream Theater's keys with death-thrash guitar riffs and an unshakeable foundation of drum and bass. The vocalist is much like PTH's Rody Walker in the sense that he can do everything. Beautiful clean vocals, deep death growls, thrashy shouts, he's got everything. Not to mention the lyrics are incredibly poetic and deep.
The songwriting is focused, 7 years in the making and each song no longer than 5 minutes. However, these songs have the depth of a 15 minute prog epic, with the ferocity and intensity of a deathcore band and the polish of Protest The Hero. This polish, is what grinds my gears. The production is a tad too clean at times, however it does accentuate the clean vocals. // 8
Lyrics and Singing: The lead vocalist is incredible, as previously stated, and reminds me of Rody Walker. Listen to "Seasons" and "Song For The Hopeless" for the full extent of his vocal abilities, with an epic clean chorus in "Seasons" consisting of a jaw-dropping display of his range and tight vibrato. Right after this is a death scream sounding something like goddamn Nergal, it's low and disgusting (in a good way). The lyrics are poetic and complex, adding a whole other layer to this masterpiece. // 9
Impression: If Between The Buried And Me is Chuck Lidell and Protest The Hero is Muhammad Ali, then Across The Sun is Rambo. Diverse and angry, they combine everything to create something truly wonderful. Get your ear raped by an MMA fighter today, pick up this record. // 8
