Review by JD on September 7, 2011.

Thrash... a term that to most metallers, is a call to arms for a whole lot O’ thrashing. The metallic style had almost vanished from the metal scene for a while, yet it has seen a total revival and now is growing with a new crop of eager six-stringed shredders wanting to put there stamp on the music world. Tokyo’s Crossover Thrashers Beyond Description are now doing just that, but in their own way.

This odd little three piece unit started out as a balls to the wall Hardcore Punk band that payed veneration to the old school of Hardcore and all that it entailed - but over the years they have matured and incorporated some intense and straight ahead Thrash into the mix. Reminding me a little of D.R.I. and perhaps a little C.O.C. as well, you also get some huge doses of Exodus and other old school Thrash added in. They come out with this massive wall of passion, fire and truly shown just who they are.

Taking the time to listen to such instantly likable tracks as 'Change' or even the very nasty riffing of 'Reveal', one thing for sure, they found that mesmerizing balancing act between Hardcore frantic energy and the technical melodic and heavy brilliance of Thrash. Neither side of this coin controls the other, almost seamlessly meshing the two into what I can categorize as the prefect melding of the two. Shoddy recording in places hurt the band on a couple of tracks, yet that very same thing seems to help in other areas as well.

Coming from the Japanese metal scene where most metalheads over here in North America shakes there head, it is refreshing to hear a band that just hammers it out with such heaviness and power - without any weirdness into it. Hope that Beyond Description start marketing themselves in the rest of the world. The metallic hoards will welcome them with open arms and full bottles of cold beer. I for one, getting the chance to greet them... will do just that.

Good album... good band... ya get what I am sayin’? True that it is not a amazing sort of album, but still very good one worth a few listens.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 7
Originality: 8
Overall: 8

Rating: 7.8 out of 10

Review by JD on September 7, 2011.

Thrash... a term that to most metallers, is a call to arms for a whole lot O’ thrashing. The metallic style had almost vanished from the metal scene for a while, yet it has seen a total revival and now is growing with a new crop of eager six-stringed shredders wanting to put there stamp on the music world. Tokyo’s Crossover Thrashers Beyond Description are now doing just that, but in their own way.

This odd little three piece unit started out as a balls to the wall Hardcore Punk band that payed veneration to the old school of Hardcore and all that it entailed - but over the years they have matured and incorporated some intense and straight ahead Thrash into the mix. Reminding me a little of D.R.I. and perhaps a little C.O.C. as well, you also get some huge doses of Exodus and other old school Thrash added in. They come out with this massive wall of passion, fire and truly shown just who they are.

Taking the time to listen to such instantly likable tracks as 'Change' or even the very nasty riffing of 'Reveal', one thing for sure, they found that mesmerizing balancing act between Hardcore frantic energy and the technical melodic and heavy brilliance of Thrash. Neither side of this coin controls the other, almost seamlessly meshing the two into what I can categorize as the prefect melding of the two. Shoddy recording in places hurt the band on a couple of tracks, yet that very same thing seems to help in other areas as well.

Coming from the Japanese metal scene where most metalheads over here in North America shakes there head, it is refreshing to hear a band that just hammers it out with such heaviness and power - without any weirdness into it. Hope that Beyond Description start marketing themselves in the rest of the world. The metallic hoards will welcome them with open arms and full bottles of cold beer. I for one, getting the chance to greet them... will do just that.

Good album... good band... ya get what I am sayin’? True that it is not a amazing sort of album, but still very good one worth a few listens.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 7
Originality: 8
Overall: 8

Rating: 7.8 out of 10

Review by Death8699 on December 17, 2018.

This sophomore release by Archspire was rated unfairly. For being a technical death metal act, this release hits home with a higher average. It's blindingly fast and furious and hate in the vocals. All the tracks on here I thought were noteworthy as well as super technical on the guitars/drums. The vocals are wicked as well. Not only do you get deep growl but there are some screaming going on as well. The music is just furious. Nothing on here is boring or without significance. There are some milder guitar mixed in here but not extensively. It's enough to give the album variety and poise. This being a second album really is quite an achievement.

They seem to never let-up in intensity except for when they totally want to mellow out in the guitar department. For technical death metal, the music is filled with Archspire hate. I like the rhythm guitars better than the leads, though they were well constructed. The rhythm is filled with fret-board fantastic licks. And the opening track you would expect them to have such fury soon after the intro takes place. There just isn't anything on here that is without precedence. What baffles me is that people didn't appreciate this enough to give it a higher rating.
I like the whole package, though the production could have been a bit better, but it still does the album justice. These guys are no amateurs. They know how to construct riffs that are so complex and amazing. I should say my favorite tracks are the opening "Lucid Collective Somnambulation", "Join Us Beyond", and "Seven Crowns And the Oblivion Chain."  Everything just comes together as this 30+ minutes flies right by you (or at least, for me it did). These guys are highly underrated. You'll hear a supreme genocide on here.

To sum up, Archspire really did a great job of making some extreme music creative with their guitar/drum work. The intensity is high, total headbanger material. They know their music needs to go completely viral. Check out those songs I mentioned on YouTube or the album is available on Spotify. You will not be disappointed. If you are, then you don't appreciate talent like this!

Rating: 8.5 out of 10