Rise To Remain - City Of Vultures Album Review

Formed in 2006 and originally known as Halide, Rise To Remain are a London quintet who have gained exposure from shows at Download and Sonisphere. This debut album is currently being promoted on the live scene in Europe and the band will return to the UK in December, supporting Trivium.

In the interest of fairness, it must be declared that this writer is not a fan of grunted metalcore vocals - something that RTR utilise regularly. However, to write off this record based on this wouldn't be fair as the band do revert to a more understandable singing style as well. 'The Serpent' is a ferocious opener that uses both, but is it with 'This Day Is Mine' that an impression is really made, with the great riff leading the way. Unfortunately it is followed by a messy title track that is difficult to sit through, much like 'God Can Bleed' and 'Illusions'. When a more melodic direction is pursued the results are generally better, with 'Talking In Whispers' a soaring anthem and 'Roads' also making a decent impression. It's not exhilarating though and ultimately it's hard to see RTR taking off on the back of this release.

Alex Lai