Adversary - Singularity
Rating
RIYL
Becoming the ArchetypeWoe of Tyrants
Misery Index
Release Date
11/11/2008
Label
TrustkillTracklist
1. Hedonist2. The Grand Mistake
3. Singularity
4. In Vino Veritas
5. Manifest Humility
6. By Apathy Undone
7. Ashes Of Faith
8. Dying Art
9. The Romance Of Lies
10. Wisdom In Regret
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When I first heard that Adversary was from Manassas, VA, my interest was piqued for all the wrong reasons. You see, I live 10 minutes outside of Manassas and over the years have been to countless shows in and around the area. Most of these shows involved heavy volumes of girl pants, pig squeals, and spin kicks; all things guaranteed to ensure eternal auditory (and probably personal) damnation in my eyes. So for the past 6 years, I’ve regarded Manassas as a cultural wasteland, devoid of any talent or riff that didn’t rely on open string strumming. With this in mind, it is little wonder that my first instinct was to write off this group’s first record, Singularity, as nothing more than another derivative deathcore record. Well… it’s not. In fact, with the exception of Blacklisted, I’ve never been so wrong about a band before. After listening to this record for the better part of a month, I’m convinced that Singularity is everything that is right with the modern American metal scene, and then some.
Adversary’s sound is most broadly described as melodic death metal. The trouble with such abstracts in the case of albums like this one is that they are woefully oversimplified. It’s been quite awhile since the metal community has heard something like the sonic smorgasbord called Singularity. Infectious melodic riffing compels you to hum their songs all day long, and the pummeling rhythm section keeps all four of my limbs flailing along in a never ending quest to master the air drums.
What makes Singularity really rise above albums from Adversary's peers is the occasional curve ball the innovative Virginians throw at your expectations. The instrumental “Ashes of Faith” contains both an impressive (if somewhat overindulgent) extended guitar solo followed by a cathartic build up using two cellos to lay the foundation for the approaching crescendo. Several of the tracks make heavy use of pentatonic scales. “Wisdom in Regret” and “Hedonist” both demonstrate a thick southern sound and mountains of groove added to an otherwise thoroughly European metal album. Also, the fourth song, “In Vino Veritas”, stands out from the other jams on first listen. It’s the best song on the disc if for no other reason than the hammer-on riff that captivates you from the beginning chorus right to the closing guitar squeal. This is the kind of song that gets put on play lists and mix CDs for years to come.
Perhaps the most remarkable part of an already noteworthy introduction is to be found in the vocal department. Singer William Clapp adds enormous depth to Adversary’s sound with his powerful and varied delivery. Boasting both a vicious, snarling rasp and a dynamic, emotive clean register, Clapp’s voice is a force to be reckoned with. The interplay between the two sung extremes is very reminiscent of metalcore favorites, At All Cost. Both bands use the vocals as audio cues for verse/chorus transitions and to great effect. Singularity is rife with memorable choruses courtesy of Clapp. The lyrics are hit or miss, but you’ll have so much fun singing along it’s hard to care what nonsense you’re saying.
Catchy riffs and heavy grooves are key components to success, and Adversary are flush with both. However, few albums are perfect and Singularity doesn’t quite meet this illustrious standard. For instance, after “Manifest Humanity” the rest of the songs don’t establish their identity as strongly as the front five. Production values also could use some adjusting. The bassist is M.I.A. on the record as near as I can tell. This is yet another example of a really good album that could have been truly great with some audio tweaking.
Adversary has unleashed a monster of a debut album. The songs are well crafted, they rarely lose your attention, and gems like “In Vino Veritas” and “The Grand Mistake” will ensure that this disc gets plenty of play time. It’s refreshing to hear a young, talented metal band playing a uniquely Americanized style of European melodeath. Modern metal scene take notice: no longer will cookie cutter replicas of Slaughter of the Soul be enough to sell records. Gone are the days of bloated breakdowns wasting half the track. Monotone growling and slightly off key singing will satisfy the masses no more. The Singularity has been calculated, and it’s massively heavy.
--Ian Woods
Comments
Minnesota
I think this is in the same boat as Woe of Tyrants' latest album in that it'll take a while for me to really get into it. The first time through nothing truly gripped me, but I'm sure that on a few more listens I'll grow to see everything you're talking about :-)
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Dubuque
This is the bad part. I haven't liked anything Trustkill in quite awhile, so I automatically associated anything on the label as a bore. Does that make me a bad person?
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Infinitely Inwards
Hmmm, I like the review and i am in complete agreement of most everything that was said (especially the damage done by girl jeans, spin kicking, etc..). I think, though, that some citics( in all forms) have a misconception of the american metal scene (not necessarily anyone here, this is just a thought) There are so many different genres of metal, and a lot of them that have become stale originated in the USA. IF, however, you look for amazing metal bands that are still active from this country they are easy to find.... BTBAM,Suspyre,DT, Epicurean, Maudlin Of the Well, Isis,The Abscence, ABR, Misery Signals, BTA, The Faceless, Kamelot, Rosetta, Nevermore, Cephalic Carnage, Pig Destroyer, Darkest Hour, Decrepit Birth, Giant Squid, Odious Mortem, Vale Of Pnath, the list goes on. Without naming some metalcore/deathcore bands that i actually like, all of those previously afforementioned bands somehow conflict with their peers' "normality" or expectations in their respective genres. Didn't mean to write an essay and i am in no way criticizing the review. This was just a added comment.
Ever Forthright - Ever Forthright
Fallujah - The Harvest Wombs
The New Law - The Fifty Year Storm
The Mars Volta - Noqtourniqet
Aborted - Global Flatline
Spawn of Possession - Incurso
Crippled Black Phoenix - (Mankind)The Crafty Ape
JMU
I see your point and actually agree with you, although I would cite a pretty different list haha. I wasn't didn't mean to insinuate that American metal acts aren't innovative or progressive. I was merely lamenting the fact that in general, those groups get overlooked in favor of trendy deathcore garbage, and that it's a good thing that Adversary is getting recognition seeing as how they are far from such mediocre faggotry.
Minnesota
You know, when I think of "American Metal", I don't think I actually would list any of the bands you have in your list :-) Well, maybe Darkest Hour. When I think of American Metal, I think of the Pantera sound or the Lamb of God sound or the Machine Head sound. It's just like when I think of Gothenburg Metal, I think of Soilwork and At the Gates and so on. With that in mind, I can see how you'd see the American Metal sound/scene as pretty dead lately because there hasn't been a lot coming out of that arena that is that decent.
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Infinitely Inwards
I understand what you mean regarding the context of the style involved with the making of the music I mentioned, but you are forgetting one thing....Everything I named is recent, it is all from "America", and it is all relatively metal. Thusly "American Metal"....Also, I thought that most of the "metal" people on this site at least respected Dream Theater, BTBAM, and Maudlin Of The Well...guess i was wrong in that assumption. My list was meant to reflect as many different genres with a metallic sound as I could come up at the moment. Feel free to enlighten my opinion with your list.
Ever Forthright - Ever Forthright
Fallujah - The Harvest Wombs
The New Law - The Fifty Year Storm
The Mars Volta - Noqtourniqet
Aborted - Global Flatline
Spawn of Possession - Incurso
Crippled Black Phoenix - (Mankind)The Crafty Ape
Minnesota
Oh, I'm not trying to say that the bands in your list aren't good. Hell, I love most of them (huge Dream Theater fanboy). I think there needs to be a disambiguation of the term "American Metal" since we seem to be talking about two different things.
You are taking the term as literally as possible in that you're thinking of any bands that play metal and are from America.
I am using the term as a genre descriptor, in the same manner as "pop-punk" or "post-hardcore". American Metal describes a distinct sound that was used by Pantera, LoG, Darkest Hour, Shadows Fall, etc.
Hopefully that makes some sense :-)
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Infinitely Inwards
I understand man...I've heard so many terms for that genre (New wave of American thrash metal, American Metal, etc.) and there are very few of them that I actually like (Chimaira,Nevermore, Byzantine, and yes, even Trivium). I thought that you meant something differently than you mentioned first. Still doesn't change my opinion concerning the elitist fucks out there that claim the American metal scene has gone to hell. "American Metal" , as it was previously described by you, does seem to be suffering from a severe drought of intelligent bands; and will probably continue to do so until they realize that the same ol' formula just doesn't cut it any longer.
Ever Forthright - Ever Forthright
Fallujah - The Harvest Wombs
The New Law - The Fifty Year Storm
The Mars Volta - Noqtourniqet
Aborted - Global Flatline
Spawn of Possession - Incurso
Crippled Black Phoenix - (Mankind)The Crafty Ape