Resistance - "To Judge and Enslave" Review

Darker, deeper, more mature, those are the adjective that describe the progress of Belgian deathcore band Resistance since its last album Age of Torment the best. On the other hand, the tempo of the tracks is still furious as well as the band’s faith in their raw and brutal roots remains unchanged, which is demonstrated especially in the vocals which stay very organic, no matter what.

But still, despite the band’s own spirit, the influences of other bands are indisputable. However, you cannot accuse Resistance of being unoriginal or worse, a copycat. On the contrary, it is admirable how can the musicians select the best of other works and get inspired without stealing or losing their own sound. What more, even lately kind of overused quoting of film lines feels perfectly in its place without sounding like a cliché.

The thing which was missing a bit in Lords of Torment and is fully compensated in To Judge and Enslave is the wholeness of the album. But it was not the common problem – a fragmentation of the album, but conversely, the previous album was so complex and linked that it was almost hard to distinguish on track of the following one. However this is not the case. Every track is different yet the album is still well-knit to sound like one piece of work and not a random compilation. This is caused mainly by a wider range of vocals used in every song, which makes the album more entertaining.

When it comes to the particular instruments, it is hard to find any flaw. Technically, there is nothing to criticize as the whole sound is very professional and mature. Although the handwriting of Resistance has stayed the same since the very first records, this album is a proof that the band knows how to improve and develop the skills and stay true in the same time.

In general I would recommend this album to everyone who can appreciate high quality music which lets it all hang out. The tracks are tinged by a wide range of styles, no matter if it is rather brutal or classic death sound, without going into the unnecessary extremes. There is one extreme though – this album is extremely likeable without being truckling, and this is what makes the musicians from a band like Resistance stand out in a crowd.


Review from spirit-of-metal.com