Record Review: The Division

by | Feb 1, 2011 | Reviews

The Division
Embrace
Poquoson, VA

“Embracing melody and brutality”

The Division experiments with different sounds and vocals in their debut album Embrace. The alternative metal album includes influences from country to death metal. The most striking attribute of the music is in the vocals – sounding at once like like Silversun Pickups mixed with Death. At first it’s a bit jarring, but you’ll learn to like it fast.

The music could be described as melodic trash metal. The title track “Embrace” embodies the band and the music into one song. It builds up from a single simple guitar riff into complex metal anthem only to calm down to let the listener take a breather for a moment before picking it up again. Similarly the album starts lighter and gets more aggressive towards the end.

The band is obviously talented and an ambitious group. What the record would need to take it to that next level is a bit more thought and focus on who they really are. It’s full of good ideas and at times the execution is flawless, but cramming all those ideas and influences into one release leaves the listener with an impression of a band seeking direction. (Sacrifice Records)

Produced, mixed and mastered by Albert Born //Recorded at Born Studios

www.thedivisionband.com