Don’t let the Power Metal-esque album art fool you; With Faith or Flames is very much a member of the deathcore family. Though not as technical as some other genre-mates, nor as polished as its stalwarts, With Faith or Flames brings a high-octane entry with A Conquest Triumphant.

The song structure reminds me of At the Throne of Judgment, just with more melodic passages interspersed amongst the heavy. There are lots of intermittent chromatic runs and trills between the chugs and occasional breakdowns. The solos are especially technical and long, showcasing a talent I wish would cross over into the more simplified riffs. I have a feeling that the band is, for whatever reason, holding back, more apt to keep things tight and moving rather than enter a “my riffs are better than yours” contest with other deathcore bands. Unfortunately, that leaves the music a bit stale and allows it to fall into a mold rather than breaking it.

The album’s vocals are its weakest link. The low-end growls are serviceable but not great. The high-pitched screams are strained and feel very forced. Perhaps it’s the vocalist’s Tennessean dialect poking through, but the screams sound more like pained yelling. The muddy, too-thick production doesn’t help either, as the vocals tend to blend with the heavier chugging. The guitar sound is not rich or vibrant; it is, instead, extremely muted and lacks the hard edge it so desperately needs in this brand of metal. The drums are the only favorable part of the mix, standing clear and loud in a crowd of mud. The bass…well, let’s just say you won’t be finding it without a frequency-range limiter.

With Faith or Flames is a poor man’s At the Throne of Judgment with the only bonus being With Faith or Flames is still together. I’m not saying this record is bad, per se, but it won’t win the hearts and minds of the genre’s fans. After two records (this being the second), With Faith or Flames may have the growth and maturation to put this shoddily produced, potential-limiting record behind them. Only time will tell.

2.0/5