Album Review: Aversions Crown - 'Servitude'

4 December 2011 | 10:14 pm | Staff Writer
Originally Appeared In

Another Australian metal release worthy of respect.

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It has been said before and it will be said once again, Australian metal is no longer the whipping boys to the more established overseas core. There's no inferiority, no mismatch and certainly no inadequacy. See, while prominent geographic locations like Gothenburg with its melodic death metal scene and the Bay Area, producing a signature thrash contingent, Australia is now in a position to make up on lost ground. It's certainly not anywhere near the aforementioned yet but at least there is some healthy progress being made.

In the same way that Parkway Drive got the ball running more recently with their influence on aspiring metalcore and hardcore bands, groups like Thy Art Is Murder are now having a similar effect on the local deathcore/death metal scene. Brisbane's Aversions Crown are neatly positioned within this domestic rise. Debut studio album 'Servitude' takes the technical sensibilities of a Born of Osiris and combines it with the odd breakdown and down-tuned passage. Yeah, perhaps this musical approach sounds like something we've heard before. Band steals Nile riff adds a breakdown and then gives some Meshuggah-type technicality. You know the drill. But thankfully that's not the case here. 'Servitude' focuses on tried and true approaches, however, without any of the generic and boring traits usually associated.

Eleven tracks provides a suitable platform to introduce the Aversions Crown style. On the back of Boris the Blade's EP 'Tides of Damnation', these northern based metallers continue in the same way, with their own fluent, untarnished and raw sound. Both mentioned releases are seemingly heavier than a pregnant elephant expecting twins.

However, critiques and due process in listening are still to be applied. This early praise isn't intended as some re-hashing of a glorified press release. Although, there is some solid promise and obvious engagement present on 'Servitude'. While it may not be the equivalent of The Black Dahlia Murder's 2011, almost peerless release 'Ritual', this debut full-length is consistent enough.

Opening tracks 'No Salvation' and 'Excoriate' start things off smoothly, with the band not afraid to explore typical metal structures. But it is in the middle where the album truly picks up. 'Partisan Deconstruction' smacks the listener between the ears from start to finish, with attention grabbing double kick patterns and bellowing riffs. 'Solace' is the quiet, instrumental interlude and 'Defiler' is again symptomatic of what came before it, with guttural vocals and a brutal impact.

Production-wise 'Servitude' is clear and defined. Effort-wise the album also receives a pass mark. With the first full-length out of the way, the band can now continue to work on catching up with their obvious musical influences. The beauty here is that in isolation 'Servitude' is decent, but there is still a lot of improvement to be made as well. And in an optimistic way of thinking that bodes well for any future Aversions Crown releases.

Not quite ready to proclaim this as a definitive release but something tells me Aversions Crown are going to be a permanent fixture playing alongside many similar international bands when they venture to Australia in the months (and most likely years) ahead. 'Servitude' is certainly one of the better up and coming releases of 2011.

1. No Salvation

2. Excoriate

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3. Imperfect Design

4. Hive Mind

5. Repurposed - Reprogrammed

6. Solace

7. Partisan Deconstruction

8. We're Not Safe

9. Defiler

10. Praetorian

11. Advocator Of Man's Genocide