Arisen From Nothing

At one time there was just heavy metal - one all encompassing genre heading. Once the gates were swung open, though, a multitude of subgenres came crashing out, from thrash to power metal, technical metal, progressive metal, screamo, metal core and more. Perhaps the biggest strength of Arisen from Nothing is the fact that they seem to borrow from all the diverse styles of heavy metal without being tied to anyone style. They deftly assemble various styles (sometimes several in one song) into a sound that never feels patched together.

Sound effects including a clanging bell open the album on “Duplicity.” Acoustic guitar (with more sound effects in the background) creates an intricate, pretty and somewhat melancholy melody line. As this acoustic guitar solo continues hints of Spanish guitar are heard at one or two points. This all instrumental cut opens the set in style.

Pounding out heavy and aggressive, the title track presents a stark contrast to the opening sedate textures. The vocals are angry and quite modern in nature. This is quite similar to something from bands like Disturbed. It’s equally captivating, too. Some of the guitar work, though, seems more in line with older heavy metal. The guitar solo section, in particular, is crunchy, yet also quite melodic. It’s, perhaps, more in line with European power metal. Musically, parts of “Mesmerized” (specifically the guitar “chirps” that rise up) call to mind some of the more brutal metallic guitar sounds heard on Alice Cooper’s Brutal Planet album. That said, the vocals and general song structure, again make one think of Disturbed quite a bit.

Sound effects start “Bring the War.” After a short spoken soundbite they pound out into some serious metalcore/screamo. The vocals land this into extreme metal territory. The guitar lines that dance around are quite tasty. This is very aggressive, but also well produced. It’s easy for something like this to get muddy and turn to just noise. They avoid that here. There is a section later with more melodic vocals and it calls to mind European power metal. There is also a drop back to weird, but melodic music that leans towards progressive metal. This is actually quite a dynamic cut, representing a number of different styles of metal. There are even a couple sections that seem to be in line with technical metal.

Drums open “Russian Roulette” and then a plodding old-school metal sound joins. It shifts to something that feels a bit like Anthrax. The vocals come in over the top keeping that kind of sound in place. In fact, in a lot of ways the song really feels like it could have come from Anthrax. There are some European melodic vocals in some sections, though, lending more variety to the tune and the album. This is another cut that’s quite diverse and dynamic.

More mainstream heavy metal sounds open “The Shallow,” but the screamed vocals pull it into more extreme territory. There are some intriguing melodic movements built into this piece, too. There is even a little technical metal in the midst of the cut. “Sick” has an old school metal sound in terms of the music, but the vocals bring it into more modern extreme metal territory. There are sections of this song that call to mind Anthrax, but other parts that are closer to more melodic old-school metal. The album’s closer, “Faith in Violence,” is another modern metal tune with links towards a lot of varying heavy metal styles. Some of the chorus parts here are among the most accessible of the set.

There’s nothing dramatically creative here. However, the combination of varying metal sounds is original and really earns these guys a ticket to higher levels of greatness. Anyone who enjoys a wide range of heavy metal will find plenty to like here. This is quite a strong release.

Artist: Arisen from Nothing
Title: In Nothing We Trust
Review by G. W. Hill
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
- Ariel Publicity

Even if it's not the first place you think of when you think of metal (as it will probably forever be known as the grunge central thanks to the likes of Nirvana, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden and Mudhoney) Seattle has always been a source of quality metal bands. This young band was formed in 2008 and has more in common with some of the great metal acts that Seattle gave us (bands like Sanctuary and Metal Church) then the grunge scene that gave the world Pearl Jam. Their promo material proudly displays the vast amounts of awards they have received in their young career and, judging by the strength of this recording, I'd argue that they are more than deserving of the various accolades they have thus far received in their home territory. "In Nothing We Trust" (a great album title if I do say so myself) is the sophomore release from Seattle's Arisen From Nothing and showcases a hungry young band with nowhere to go but up. The band's first recording was the "Speed of Life" EP (or is it a demo?) in 2009 with their debut full-length, "Prototype", following in 2010. This new album sees the addition of TJ Hill who brings a new level of professionalism to this young band. In fact, his range is a good selling point to this album but we'll get to that bit later. The band's ReverbNation page lists acts like Trivium, All That Remains, Bullet for My Valentine, Atreyu and Killswitch Engage as influences .All of those acts do come into play in Arisen From Nothing's sound as here we see a group that perfectly blends hints of modern hard rock/modern metal, melodic metal, metalcore, traditional heavy metal and the heavier American-style version of power metal that, in this young band's case, borders on thrash. Even without the lyric sheet in front of me it's obvious that the band's sophomore recording is heavily packed with numerous politically-charged messages. The album tackles relevant issues impacting our society as a whole so it's not lighthearted in the least. Lyrically it had me thinking about Sacred Reich's material (especially "Surf Nicaragua" and "The American Way") or even Metallica's "...And Justice for All". Thankfully it's more "The American Way" then "...And Justice for All" in not only the intensity department, but also in the fact that you can actually make out the heavy bass playing of Eric Hanson! As it's only a couple of months old the album's lyrics are as poignant as ever especially as we look at the decaying state of our country. Of course what good is any message without the proper voice to relay it? As hinted at earlier it's TJ Hill that helps make all the difference as the album unfolds. With ease he's able to offer vocal change-ups between tracks. He spits out the message as if his life was depending on it and plays with not only passion, but fire in his gut. Of course even the best vocalist can only do so much if the music isn't memorable right? Arisen From Nothing deliver these messages in a way that displays powerful modern metal with all the hallmarks of a well-oiled heavy metal machine. They play a brutal brand of metal that is chuck-full of technical riffs and heavy hooks. The album's opener, "In Nothing We Trust", is hard-driving modern metal with a touch of Metallica/Megadeth thrash added to the mix to keep things fierce. "Russian Roulette" (no, not a cover of the Accept song) offers seriously crunchy riffs...no, make that meaty riffs. They are the kind of meaty riffs that you can really sink your teeth into! "Mesmerized" actually embraces nu metal's heavier moments, but in a good way (yes, that is possible). It's main hook did seem to come from Run DMC's "It's Tricky", but when you consider "It's Tricky" has almost the same hook as The Kink's "My Sharona" it's not that big of a thing. "Bring the War" thrashes about in the same world as Killswitch Engage and As I Lay Dying. "The Shallow" is a more even-keeled metal moment while "Sick" is just like it's title says. It's sick, menacing modern metal. "Faith in Violence" can be taken in several different ways, but just like the album's others cuts it's powered by the menacing guitar work of Troy Elmore. In Troy Elmore's hands the guitar is itself a lethal weapon of warfare. Meanwhile the hard-hitting drums on "In Nothing We Trust" were preformed by Peter Breene. It should be noted though that Chris Black (who has the perfect last name for a metal musician) is the band's current drummer. As a whole you have got to give this young band due credit for writing more then just a simply-assembled, by the numbers, modern metal release. You can tell that a lot of thought and dedication went into this album. Words like powerful and gripping just don't cut it or do this album justice. It's more then just a good metal album as it's moving metal with a message. I was frankly quite surprised to find out that the album was recorded in Troy's living room by TJ. Especially as it was done with the help of protools. That goes against everything bad I've ever had to - Heavy Metal Time Machine

OCTOBER 26, 2010 (SEATTLE, WA) – Arisen From Nothing (AFN) has taken flight and will only continue to soar higher and higher with claiming the title of KING 5’s Best of Western Washington Local Bands for 2010. Saturday, October 23, at the Snoqualmie Casino, Arisen From Nothing shared the stage with the other top nominated bands for this year’s contest. They were Spike and the Impaler’s, Everyday Jones, VIII Days Clean, and Cavernous Groove. “It was an honor to be on stage with such great bands!” exclaims, Troy Elmore, guitar for AFN. Special thanks go out to Bob Rivers, KING 5’s Evening Magazine, Snoqualmie Casino and of course AFN’s fans.

Arisen From Nothing is a Snohomish County based, hard rock band. Since its inception in October 2008, AFN has been forging a name for themselves with a growing fan base, steady shows, recording and touring. AFN is managed by Showcase Music Industries and is currently in the studio writing for their next album set for release early 2011 under the EPI-Records record label.
- SMI

The results are In! Congratulations to Arisen From Nothing, named #1 Local Bands on the 2010 Best of Western Washington. - King5.com