Sown in Tears

Armed to Conquer is a compilation of two efforts released by Long Island, NY natives Sown In Tears. The first three tracks are previously unreleased songs featuring new front man Matt Lippl, formerly of The Partisan Turbine (Siege of Amida Records). The bulk of the disc however is a re-mastered version of A New Hope, their debut full-length, featuring their previous front man, Peter Castalano.

Brutal is the first word that comes to mind after hearing "Armed to Conquer." The 13 bone-crushing, stomach-pounding tracks keep your arms flailing and your fists pumping. It is everything you would expect from a metal/hardcore band. While this is not a terrible thing to accomplish, it is not the best either.

"The Revelation" is a quick, high-energy song that served as the intro to A New Hope. It has a powerful buildup and release that cleverly excites the listener and fades at the peak of excitement, leaving a strong feeling of anticipation for the next track in your ears. While it's a relatively simple song it serves its purpose perfectly.

"Realization" is another standout track that defines their sound; another powerful buildup to start, leading into a deep, vigorous breakdown with great interplay between the guitars and drums. It keeps the listener intrigued through the unique vocal break in the bridge, into one final, half-time breakdown that would keep any hardcore kid flailing until the very end.

There are hefty gaps in the quality of songwriting from track to track. Some songs, like the few mentioned earlier, are memorable, but most of the other songs sound too similar to each other that I cannot tell "Detoxification" from "The Perfect Ending...". This is their biggest downfall. I'm sure everything they play is great fun to dance to live, but when it comes to listening to the album it ends up blending into the background.

The songs sound decently produced; guitars are very heavy (and, as expected, detuned a few steps), the drums cut through the mix ok. It could stand to improve however as the songs are muddy, in turn not allowing the full energy to cut through, leaving the listener with the ever-dreaded feeling that something is missing. The guitar parts are strong and complex and it would serve their interests to hear them better. "Flatlining" has the potential to be an incredible song if it were not so muddy. "Veritas," "Weight of Rage," and "Nostalgia" fit this stigma also. These guys are talented on their instruments and a better production would help them exponentially. In addition, I enjoyed the vocals by Peter on the "A New Hope" portion over Matt's on the newer three tracks. I'm not sure whether to attribute this shortcoming to the production or to Matt's abilities, but either way this was unfortunate. It seems like they haven't quite defined their sound, but they are close.

Armed to Conquer is an impressive release that encompasses their sound since formation almost four years ago and is a must have for any death metal fan. Having seen them perform I can attest to the fact that their live show is nothing short of intense. They are one of the hardest working bands on the East Coast and I have no doubt that as they continue to tour, gain exposure, collect fans, and mature their songwriting, some labels will find them hard to resist.

- Punkbands.com