Reflections of a Dying World

The name "An Act of Treachery" should have been my first clue. This Death/Thrash band from Vienna, Austria plays an angry, aggressive Death/Thrash Metal with some decent riffs, though the lead work is a bit pedestrian. I honestly tapped my foot on more than one occasion. When viewed as a whole, however, the band's debut, Reflections of a Dying World, strays too far over the line into core territory. The vocals are a vocal-cord-abusing monotone shout, layered with effects, and the triggering of the drums is obvious, especially the bass drum, which sounds more synthesized than real. Combine that with a fair share of groove riffing and a Death growl here and there and you've got something that's just not all that fun to sit through. I can't say it is badly played, that wouldn't be true, but most fans of Thrash and/or Death Metal are going to want to steer clear, unless they dig a little metalcore in the mix. I'll pass.