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Miguel Miranda

As mentioned, "Incendiary" burns your misgivings to cinders on its opening salvo "Incendiary" that knocks the door down, grabs you by the collar, and punches you right in the family jewels. While this isn't exactly what the lyrics are about, if the song were rendered into movements, why, it would do as described, punching you in the balls, etc. etc. etc. "Descent of Man" eases the furious tempos a bit (just a bit) to allow for a little recovery following Alex Blume and co.'s introductory credits.

Looking at Ares Kingdom's few promotional band pictures (actually there’s only one floating around the darker corners of the internet) reveals a quartet beset by considerable years whose youth flowered around the time thrash came about some 25 odd years ago. Such past history is apparent throughout this sophomore outing, especially the churning "Beasts That Perish" and the album’s apocalyptic finisher "Abandon In Place." Those looking for easy comparisons will feel right at home if their tastes run the gamut of Sodom, Blood Tsunami, Deadknight, Warbringer, Venom, early Kreator, At War, and Legion of the Damned. Basically stripped down old school thrash devoid of frills whose savage nature almost careens headlong into the death metal realm at its fiercest moments.

Contrasting the band's relentless riff-driven bombardment are two surprising exercises of musical finesse, these being the instrumental segues "The Destruction of Sennacherib" and "Consigned To the Ages." Between these lay a generous amount of carnage and uncivilized warfare as the band indulge their misanthropy on such burning tunes as "Ashen Glory," "Gathering the Eagles," and why, "Incendiary." That said, it's high time you saluted these troopers and braced yourself for the inevitable firestorm.

That is, if you choose to patronize Ares Kingdom.

Scott Alisoglu

03/23/2010

We already know that at least every other reviewer is going to write it and I'm going to write it too because the following statement is 100 percent accurate; the album title speaks volumes about what ARES KINGDOM offers on "Incendiary". It is an album packed with hot riffs and even hotter (and well developed) solos, including an equally scorching tone and an overall attack that will pose an uninsurable risk to carpeted areas due to the sparks shooting out of the speakers. It's true.

Some of us already knew that ARES KINGDOM brought it hard, fast, and dirty with the aforementioned fiery riffs, as well as bassist Alex Blume's (NEPENTHE, BLASPHEMIC CRUELTY) throat-pitted vocals. "Incendiary" stands apart from "Return to Dust" primarily due to the paths taken by the arrangements on the former. Songs are more dynamic, even marginally progressive, and offer more in the way of variety without any wasted spaced. We're not talking ORPHANED LAND dynamic or anything. It is just that on "Incendiary", ARES KINGDOM makes every pace shift count, every break impact, and every riff and solo turn skin to liquid. It could be the movement from barn burning thrash to crunching march on "Descent of Man", the trad-metal shades of "The Destruction of Sennacherib", or a style on "Ashen Glory" that falls somewhere between raw thrash and the epic end of IMMORTAL; the tune is also inclusive of some rather elegant segments. It is the way that the eight-minute "Abandon in Place" sounds frantic and pointed at once, as well as the way that the colors fade into one another, or it could be something as simple as the placement of dark instrumental "Consigned to the Ages". Never fear, the waging of war is still job one, but nobody said there was only one way to kill the enemy.

One should be careful using words like "maturity" in the context of a sweaty, rutting beast like ARES KINGDOM, but now that we've sufficiently dirtied up and qualified it, we can go ahead and use it. "Incendiary" shows maturation in songwriting, yet still swoops down upon you like so many Corsairs blanketing a concentration of enemy soldiers with napalm somewhere near Yudam-ni during the Korean War.

Marty Dodge

Gravely, death-metal vocals are really the only key to their intentions. Considering this release is self-produced you have to marvel at the quality. There are bands with a hell of a lot more money behind them that don't do it this well. What I enjoy most is the fact the band are keen to use a solo to move things a long. Death metal without solos rather gets dull after a while.

No matter if you consider these guys late to first wave of thrash metal or early to the genre's revival you can't fault the quality. There are some great stuff here that is worth the price of admission. Let's hope you hear more from these guys in the future.

C.R.O.C.

03/22/2010

1. ''Incendiary'' I would say this is an acceptable start for an album.It has most elements a fan of oldschool death-thrash wants to hear; furious rythm sections,raspy vocals,malevolent ambiance.Although,I must underline the fact that the lead guitar work is slightly poor.I have been cringing slightly while listening to what sounds very much like improvized and generic,filler-type soloing.I have been hoping in vain that this would improve as the song progresses,but I came out of this empty-handed.This element alone does ruin the magic for me.You have to be quite the diehard thrash metal fan to move past this and give the rest of the album a chance.

2. ''Descent of Man'' This track gives me the feeling that what we have here is a band that has at least a bit of a clue when it comes to throwing in some (if very few) good hooks into songs,having the listener headbanging along for so little a moment.This is most definitely something I can hand to them.The downside to this is basically that these hooks are thrown into an absolute directionless mess.The beginning of the song is catchy,but soon turns into an absolutely bland and pedestrian affair that stretches out to no end.The hyperactive technical-masturbation the lead-guitarist is throwing into the mix does very little to tame the boredom as it still gives me the feeling that it has been improvized on the spot,only for the sake of responding to the popular demand that the pattern of a song has to include that god-forsaken solo.The ending of the song is somewhat of a return to the catchiness of its beginning,and oddly enough,seems to have more of a structure,more of a direction,more of a relevance.

3. ''The Destruction of Sennacherib'' This being an interlude,I'm not immensely surprised that it won't have enough of a weighing power to convince me that things are getting brighter in the songwriting department.I have to admit that in this case,the wee interlude should have been taken out of the tracklist.Sound effects of a sadistic war are being extremely overused on thrash metal,and folk metal albums.It does very little ( read: nothing at all) to convince anyone that it makes the ensemble of the sound more badass.This time,both the rythmic section and the leads sound absolutely sloppy.It's a wonder no one in the band had any second thoughts about including this stinker on the disc.

4. ''Silent Mortal Flesh (Convergence)'' I would say this is a listenable track.The main riff,although it is quite painfully unoriginal,gets me nodding my head along,even though I'm nowhere near a headbanging frenzy.The main downer is probably that its repetitiveness is watering it down to the point of making you wish the song was shorter.Most of the riffs in the rythm section have been copied and pasted from already existent thrash metal releases,even though I might add that said riffs are probably the most simplistic I have heard in the history of this sub-genre.It is quite a poor tribute to the gods.The lead guitar work at the beginning of the song is laughably useless.I've been quite surprised to find out that midway through the track,it actually does sound like it's been written to add a nice touch to the ensemble of the track,but it doesn't exactly make me hyperventilate with enthusiasm yet.

5. ''Ashen Glory'' I am pleasantly surprised to find out that this band does have some melodious chops to bring to the table.Since the beginning of my journey with this album,this is the first track that distinctively showcases a general direction,complete with an interesting melodious progression.It has a bit of a viking-esque feel,the main riff being a nice and much needed breath of fresh air within the sea of distaste this album has been so far.This is quite the sweet tune,even though it doesn't break bricks at this point.

6. ''Beasts that Perish'' This is yet again a listenable track,even a slightly catchy one.Its lenght certainly wouldn't've suffered a slight trim,being quite a linear offering,but I will cut the band some slack and give them some credit for bringing up a nifty,slightly OWOBH-sounding thrash metal cut that is still a good listen,while not reinventing the wheel by any means.

7. ''Consigned to the Ages'' Another interlude that carries a well-built little melody,and actually serves as better filler than ''The Destruction of Sennacherib'' for bloody sure.

8. ''Gathering the Eagles'' Although this is another clearly organized offering,with even a twang of melodious effort into it,the blandness and excessive lenght of this track most definitely turn me off.It does shy away from having a distinct personnality.It seriously lacks ferocity.Its vagueness does force me to classify this as another very blatant filler.

9. ''Abandon in Place'' Ending the album on a slightly more positive note,I have to say that for once,the lenght of a track on this record is actually pretty close to being justified.This one track has more variations than I thought I could possibly witness within this band's songwriting capacities so far.It is quite a reasonably interesting,if not a bit of a third-tier thrash metal cut.

RATING: 4/10 The second half of this album is most definitely much more of a point of reference to rate this album than the opening half.The major down-points that we have here is the randomness of the leads,and the lack of audacity when it comes to the creative voice of the riffage.I have a feeling that this band is capable of peeling faces off,only I can't help but feel that they need to work on their craft a lot more before they step up with a disc.This is quite a disappointing and faceless effort.

Tim Meisenheimer

03/18/2010

So it was with already skeptical ears that I approached their second album Incendiary. I gave it a few spins (eight to be exact) and realized that while to me it's an improvement over the debut, it's still not something I really like. But I am hard-pressed to explain exactly why, because as my friend Eric says to me, "You should love this band."

As far as death thrash goes, Ares Kingdom is one of the more unique bands I've heard. This isn't simple sped up heavy thrash ala Possessed or Sepultura nor is it meat-headed dumbed-down death metal ala Carnal Forge or Hatesphere. In fact simple is probably the last word I would use to describe Incendiary. For death thrash it's complex and therein lies the first issue I have with the album (a caveat is warranted: this and the other issues are personal preference): I like my death thrash fast, aggressive and fast. Ares Kingdom varies tempos more in each song than almost the entire subgenre does in a hundred albums. But while these songs are tortuous and involved, at some point I'm craving the full-on thrashing I've come to expect from this particular style and this album rarely lets loose into full ripping corpse territory.

Also unique for this subgenre is Incendiary's melodic sensibility. Both the riffs and leads sound more influenced by NWOBHM than by any old school death thrash. The name that keeps popping into my head as a referent is Arghoslent, but much less poppy; I say less poppy because there is at least a little aggression in some of these riffs. The lead work of Chuck Keller is fantastic; they could be lifted out and grafted onto any early 80s Neat Records release and would still sound perfectly placed. But that brings me to another contentions issue: I don't much care for melodicism in my metal, outside of my NWOBHM records. Melodic death metal, melodic thrash, melodic extreme anything really, have always seemed to be working at cross purposes to my uncultured ears; I listen to metal for the atavistic aggression and at some point the melody always seems to overwhelm that aggression. Some of these songs get awfully close to the scourge that is modern melodic death metal. Thankfully though Ares Kingdom never devolve into that sappy, sugary miasma, but "Ashen Glory" and "Descent of Man" are only a few notes, and bad haircuts, away.

What almost saves this for me is that at many points throughout the album I'm reminded of some of my favorite early 90s death metal records. But Blessed Are the Sick, Legion and Embalmed Existence hover like unhappy specters over the parts the come up short. There just isn't enough death or thrash in this death thrash metal for me to need to listen to this album. I am hearing an album that reminds me of other, better, albums which I need to hear again.

Yet after more than a dozen listens I can say, while I still don't like Incendiary, it's not a bad album, it's just not for me. It's a solid melodic death thrash album, raw and completely metal (there is not even a hint of metalcore or hardcore shenanigans here and that alone makes it an okay album), that's just missing a few things the would make it far more appealing to me; fans of Arghoslent, Acheron and Absu would probably love this though.

Incendiary follows suit four years after their last full-length. If you liked them back then, you'll love them now. If anything the songs are more immediate and the punch of their music is greater. But nothing has been sacrificed. Not the rawness of their sound, nor the immediacy of Chuck Keller's guitars and monster songwriting. It's hard to listen to Ares Kingdom and not wonder why is it that they aren't more well-known. These are clearly consummate musicians. Their chops are all over, but there is no useless wankery around. Just songs. Flawless thrash death metal tunes.

"The Destruction of Sennacherib" may be the most anthemic and easy going Ares Kingdom will ever be. It is also a gorgeous instrumental that segues into the galloping straight forward punch of "Silent Mortal Flesh". The drumming of Mike Miller as usual sounds choppy and makes it all sound so Teutonic. And the vocals of Alex Blume are the epitome of crudity, a live stench emanates from the speakers as he bitterly spews bile about whatever it is that their lyrics are about. According to their Metal Archives page, Ares Kingdom deal with history, warfare, determination and strength.

Get into the album. Read the liner notes and one point surfaces; it was produced by Chuck Keller. He has also written all the music and lyrics and has had a hand in the 'layout concept' and in 'lyric calligraphy'. So it's his prize to take home. The album is not so guitar centric as to scream 'Malmsteen' to high heavens but like 85% of metal records it is a guitar record. And what a guitar record it is.

It is absolutely appropriate that Ares Kingdom not for one second sound over produced. That makes the songs more metal, gives them a live feel and denotes certain desire to remain within certain boundaries. I may be wrong, but Ares Kingdom need just get a tad bigger. These songs are so good they shall serve to launch them as far as they wish.

Mercury 23

02/17/2010

Thrasher

But let the point, "Incendiary" is presented in the end as a job: 1) Flat 2) without ideas 3) pretentious (especially). From a musical point of view of the proposed Ares Kingdom is based on a thrash / death rather than "pimp" trying to fish with both hands from both classic European thrash sound typically eighty (Sodom at all) as a matrix undeniable death classic metal (Obituary and Pestilence all, especially the vocals), a deliberately retro clash with other more modern production too as a crystalline phase and out very often tends to place too much emphasis on vocals almost choked the rest instrumentation that knows how to rely only on a few occasions, and when he does ... never mind!

Yes, because here another comes incredibly negative aspect of the work: the guitar. Why in a proposal that would crush no frills, we find that ax-man Chuck Keller probably between hyper-technical solos and scales but to shoot the fuck here and there and not follow a logical line minimum, it seems more worthy of a Malmsteen tribute band of the worst ever that a group defined thrash-death.

Result? Try listening to the first two tracks of this "Incendiary" and then tell me if you still want to continue listening.
The songs are all terribly verbose, pretentious stretched to capacity by inserting in them a thousand adventures trying rhythmic want to justify the relatively high average length of each. What's more, the structure of each piece seems designed as a springboard for complacency Keller for the aforementioned classic solos (which sometimes can even touch two minutes duration), and which often occurs where evil already added in spite of doing everything possible to enhance. And the rest already listening to the title track that opens the album that everything is presented in this manner, then not to mention the longest track as the next "Descent of Man" or the torture of the final eight minutes of "Abandon in Place " where clichet in the U.S. and foreign-abuse abuse for the duration of the work are constantly repeated.

Yet from the standpoint of sound these Ares Kingdom are not even bad, it is certain that in 2010 with thousands of effects and instruments available to a clean guitar sound and somewhat particular can be easily found even the most idiot of guitarists ... In short, we speak of a definitive work to prevent some scontenterà including all the followers of the concept of pure thrash / death. Save your pennies, which record deserving in this area around - thankfully - there are more.

(Translated from Italian to English with all derision preserved by Google Translate.)

Matt Coe

06/29/2010

In between the four years of album releases, they've shared the stage with such luminary acts as Angelcorpse, Master, Slough Feg and Suffocation throughout the United States and Canada. The second full length "Incendiary" is a nine song sonic barrage of death/thrash that lives up to the album title. Imagine a raw guitar tone, deep bass and drumming straight from the Sodom meets Razor school of performance - along with Alex's low yet discernable lyrical roar.

The title track moves from a straight ahead thrash number to a pit moving mid-section with a tribal tempo perfect for audience involvement. Closer "Abandon In Place" begins with a slow, droning riff and equally paced drums before this 8:03 epic revs up into high gear where Chuck Keller gets the chance to fly his fingers of metal in fleet soloing frenzy. There’s nothing purposely glossed up and Pro-Tools enhanced - I feel like with material like "Descent of Man" and "Beasts That Parish" you’ll get Ares Kingdom as they would appear shredding you limb from limb in a live setting.

Topping this all off is serious, detailed artwork - both on the cover and panel by panel - that most bands or record labels would rather skimp out on. Ares Kingdom aren"t out to become the biggest band in their neck of the woods - they prefer to maintain their metal based on good old fashioned blue collar work ethics, and that will be fine for their followers.

A must if you miss late 80's/ early 90's death thrash.

Anthony Abboreno

Much like Order from Chaos, the music of Ares Kingdom stands between death and thrash, albeit with considerably more complex songwriting. Blasted vocals resound amidst a torrent of heavy riffing, but while the overall aesthetic fits within metallic traditions, the songwriting is too inventive to be genre study. Ares Kingdom's songs seek their own glory: they evolve with their subject matter, hammer you with d-beat-laden riffs, break down into chaos and uncertainty, and then perservere. Witness a tour de force like "Abandon in Place," in which the music builds in intensity as the lyrics become more dire, until halfway through, when everything collapses. Radio broadcasts float through space, and then, slowly, the music drags itself to its feet and trudges onward.

Chuck Keller is the primary creative force behind Ares Kingdom, and in interviews has stated that the lyrics are often as important a component of his writing process as the music. Incendiary bears that out. The ideas are much the same as on Return to Dust, although the songs get into more detail, and are more carefully interwoven in terms of theme. Incendiary portrays a world in which demagoguery and complacence lead to destruction. Images of serpents, grace, and the Garden of Eden reappear in an album that begins with religious extermism and closes with nuclear war. Dogma kills because it blinds and weakens: "Pronounce the living dead / Yet still fear the remains / Piety digs a necropolis for the future." While the world we're in might be doomed, depending on how you decide to respond, that might not be as bleak a picture as it seems: "The realization that your throne is an illusion / A liberation and a challenge / Stand in awe or fall to your knees and grieve."

The world looks pretty dire right now, and I'm sitting pretty compared to most people. Incendiary feels relevant and refuses to turn into the dogma it rails against. Ares Kingdom won't placate listeners with nostalgia or easy answers, but they will urge them to go on.

Tormentor Erich

It is obvious that the four American guys from Ares Kingdom have chosen war as theme for their 'Incendiary' album and the result can be described as somewhere between reasonable and well done. The mostly straight forward thrash metal from the band has an interface with a band like Shadowbreed and because of the vocals they also sound a bit like Unleashed every now and then. The music is played with devotion but it also sounds sometimes a bit untidy. The interaction between slower instrumental parts like 'The Destruction Of Sennacherib' or 'Consigned To The Ages' and the other songs makes sure that the almost fifty minutes of music is not just going on and on at the same speed.

If these dudes play their songs the next time a bit tighter and if they manage to make the next production sound a bit more powerful their will be no escape for the listener. But this time 'Incendiary' can best be described as a tank in a warzone. The Ares Kingdom tank is fighting somewhere in the middle of the battle field. It is not in the first rows because it has no leading position, but it is also not in the back amongst the weaker brothers.

(Translated hilariously from Spanish to English by Google Translate.)

Saevus

11/05/2009

Ares Kingdom really pushed the envelope with “Incendiary”. Pretty much all elements found on “Return to Dust” are found here, just exaggerated. Most of the riffs are done in a very abrasive form of either thrash or more traditionally leaning heavy metal, eschewing overtly technical riffing usually found in death metal for more overreaching complexity of the composure of the songs, giving the music a timeless and very emotionally evocative feel. There is a higher contrast between the heavy, more aggressive elements and the more epic and melancholic ones, created within the massive song compositions and between them through the whole album. Duality is given prominence here, and the contrast used here gives each of the elements even more power where exclusive aggression or soberness could not reach presented by themselves. As an example, Abandon in Place builds itself up to a frenzied orgy of riffs and solos before quickly dropping off into a clean segment of overwhelming grief.

While most of the songs show this balance by themselves, some songs lean strongly one way or the other, recreating the concept on an album-wide scale. This is shown very strongly between the two short instrumentals, one being composed of solid heavy riffing and the other mostly somber clean guitar with the distorted guitar only faintly in the background. They seem to be almost a ying and yang to each other, but there’s always some subtle element to tie everything together.

Soloing is even more extensively used in “Incendiary” than previously. Unlike most solos I’ve heard other bands use, many of the ones here seem to be written to be inseparable parts of the songs, built into the structure instead of written after all of the main elements are finished. The solos are also themselves structured to prevent sounding excessive, going back and forth from full solos and more structured leads to bring them down to earth. The style between solos is as varied as the riffing, some of them being in the more classical heavy metal/rock vein (even sounding a little bluesy for brief moments) and at other times raging almost out of control.

The self-done production is again magnificent, although I don’t really detect too much of an improvement over “Return to Dust”. The guitar is perfectly distorted and heavy, and all of the elements are clearly audible with a natural sound free of too much processing, especially the gruff vocals and the excellent drumming, making it a very honest sounding recording. Some elements seem to be mixed at different levels in different places and this adds a bit more variation. However, on Beasts that Perish there is found one of the best riffs on the album, which is briefly played leading up to an awesome solo, but the riff seems to be mixed lower which I think detracts slightly from one of the best moments on the album. There are some samples used here, which I’m always a bit unsure of outside of campy horror/gore death metal. They don’t seem out of place though, a couple of them were slightly confusing upon initial listening for mixing and contextual reasons.

As usual for Ares Kingdom the lyrics are based around philosophy, history and war. There seems to be a focus on what dooms mankind has or will visit upon itself, although the apocalyptic element isn’t nearly as strong here as found on “Return to Dust” of course. The lyrics work well with everything else to enhance the overall feeling and atmosphere of the album.

There seems to be a conflicting need in nature to both stay the same and proliferate and to also advance and evolve as well. This is true of heavy metal as well, where you can not create anything truly great by either stagnating and creating something derivative or eschewing all tradition and constraints just for the sake of change. I think that Ares Kingdom has kept this in mind, and combined with their notable skill have created something destined to be classic.

Sargon the Terrible

03/06/2010

This is a more technical album than the debut, but don't take that to mean that Ares Kingdom are going the Decrepit Birth clickety-click school. No, this is still slow to mid-paced Death Metal with a heavy influence from bands like Pestilence and Asphyx. The guitars don't sound as heavy this time out, but the lead work is sharp and brilliant to balance that out. I do detect a tiny bit of jazz influence on the playing, and I find that worrisome, but it's just a trace. Overall I find this more complex and impressively played than the debut, but also less memorable, less heavy, and less cohesive. Lots of bands have a sophomore slump, and this is definitely Ares Kingdom's. They wanted to show they were more than just another Death Metal band, but they are going in too many directions at once. Death Metal requires a singularity of purpose and a unity of intent – it won't stand too much experimentation without becoming something else altogether. Ares Kingdom need to focus on what they do best before they decide to try anything else.

Ray Henry

04/09/2010

I’m usually much more of a fan of the faster, more maniacally paced style that dominate the death-thrash genre, but there’s something to be said for a band that is able to tame the unrelenting hooves of Hades with slower to mid-paced tempos yet still retain a solid and quite powerful overall sound. While the pace may be slower for the most part, Incendiary is just that, a highly combustible, aggressive, yet melodic blend of bruising death metal and thrash with just about no filler at all.

Amongst the stacks of catchy, well written and transforming riffs that the band packs into the album is a tinge of melody that reveals a more unique approach to death-thrash that’s quite refreshing. Ares Kingdom seem to sense the perfect moment for each ebb and flow, each swell of discontent, each spleen rupturing blast — and deliver it with precision and feeling. This is one hell of an album!

Incendiary
The opening track is a beast of a song, letting loose right from the onset with a pretty up-tempo, bludgeoning pace and shredding riffs. Vocally, the band’s message is delivered with a raw, raspy and down right evil growl that is relatively easy to understand. The pace slows a bit for the the majority of the song, but picks up here and there to change things up on you, especially with the face searing lead around 1:40. There’s a bit of a blackened edge to this song that adds an additional dimension to the album’s aesthetic.

Descent of Man
“Descent of Man” is a more burly song with beefier riffs and heavy drum work. There’s a bit of a groove running through the song’s textured guitars and growling vocals. The band’s melodic elements aren’t as prevalent in this song as the album opener, but they do make an appearance here and there. This is another caustic, ripper of a song that at almost seven and a half minutes in length packs a boat load of everything the band has to offer. Holy hell, the lead around 4:40 is bad ass and just descends into the fire pits of Hell before rising once again into the world of mere mortals.

The Destruction of Sennacherib
A much more open, melodic sound greets the listener on this next track. It’s catchy, well performed and has plenty of atmosphere as the first lead comes in. The riffs that follow have a classic thrash vibe to them that just carries the song’s momentum along smoothly into the next bit of guitar fun as news sound clips fade in from the distance, giving the track a bit of a chaotic, disorganized feel. This short instrumental last but two and a half minutes.

Silent Mortal Flesh (Convergence)
After that brief break in the action, Ares Kingdom get back down to business with a hellified lead to open up “Silent Mortal Flesh.” The patterns to the lead vocals on this one match the groove of the song perfectly and only add to the head banging fun that ensues. There’s another stellar lead around 2:40 that really shows what Keller is more than capable of producing. Fucking awesome song.

Ashen Glory
“Ashen Glory” takes about 20 seconds or so to fade into light guitar work that has a vibe that reminds me of Cathedral for some reason. That feeling of similarity is quickly eclipsed, however, as the guitars eventually morph into driving, thrashing riffs along with pounding drum work. The overall feel of this song is a bit more raw and evil when compared to the fuller feel of the previous tracks. I love the riffing and screams that close out the song.

Beasts That Perish
Mmmm… sound effects. After the sounds of giant croaking frogs has passed the band really lets loose with a crazy array of disjointed drumming and riffs before settling into a churning, driving pace with pile driving rhythms. This is a no-frills, blasting death-thrash song if ever there was one. This is the kind of shit that gets me pumped for an album. At over seven minutes in duration, this is another song that has more than enough to keep you fully entertained without and meandering or stalling.

Consigned to the Ages
“Consigned to the Ages” is another short (2:43), well written instrumental that features acoustic guitar.

Gathering the Eagles
“Gathering the Eagles” has a bit of a blackened vibe to the opening guitar work that accompanies some seriously pounding drums — dude must have been pissed at something when recording this track. This is a slower moving beast of a song with melodic influences on the guitars and contrast nicely with the raw vocal barks and growls. I’m digging the hell out of this song.

Abandon in Place
Wrapping up the album is “Abandon in Place,” a song that starts off slowly with riffs and drums that fade in over the first 1:20 or so before the band gets into a frenzied pace with driving guitars, aggressively delivered vocals and unrelenting drums. The lead around 2:15 has a bit of a muffled feel to it, but it works well for the song. Man, these dudes picked the perfect track to close out an album — this thing is a bruising monster of a song that descends into temporary madness before arising from the dark pits on soaring guitars. Wow.

Jim Brandon

02/16/2010

I haven’t had the opportunity to check out their entire back catalog of demos, EP’s, or full-length debut Return To Dust, but taking what I have heard into consideration, I’d say Incendiary is a few very long steps ahead of their earlier material. As a new listener, it was odd at first to hear the close similarities between Alex Blume and Pete Helmkamp, Mike and Chuck’s former band mate in OFC, and the leadoff title track definitely has an Angelcorpse vibe about it. But this is far more dimensional than the all-out assault of Exterminate, as Ares Kingdom is all about letting the riffs and melodies breathe. And speaking of riffs, the band produces a stockpile of riffs high enough to empower the armies of three nations, and the solid production gives a great deal of separation to the unending chord abuse.

Even though the production is nothing to really complain about, and has a heavier finish than their earlier material, just a little more bass would have been great, but the overall increase in tonal grit and weight doesn’t hurt the sometimes lofty, epic heights Ares Kingdom attempts to attain. “Descent of Man” sounded like modern day Holy Terror via Mind Wars shortly after the five minute mark, and caused involuntary headbanging throughout by cramming every moment with cool lead fills and fantastic thrash drumming. As “The Destruction of Sennacherib” gallops through in full on Atavism mode with the sounds of battle slowly gaining volume in the background, this leads directly into the grandiose “Silent Mortal Flesh (Convergence)” which gives you a good mid-paced punch in the jaw. Things then relax and get a little spacey with the intro to “Ashen Glory”, but once again it steadily builds into a crescendo of power chords, and more tense, uptempo thrash that transcends primitive trappings.

What really sticks out to me is how Ares Kingdom don’t waste a minute of time with filler: each riff Doug and Chuck wind around each other has standout strength, each lead fill and solo compliments and enhances the riffs without overpowering them, and even though the vocals might not have much variation, but they don’t need to most of the time. This is a smart, creative, and uncaring album that is sometimes incredibly catchy without infusing much bounce at all, evidenced by the nearly perfect “Beasts That Perish”, and absolutely massive “Gathering The Eagles”. There’s enough metal ammo here to level an entire mountain range of deathcore posers, but rather than unleashing it all in one burst, they pick their battles by varying the tempo, holding back with the fury when it’s not necessary, and laying low until it’s time to break out machine-gun fire in unerring abundance.

Harmonies with balls, songwriting with purpose, and an untiring energy. It makes for one hell of an exhilarating listen, and stakes a respectable claim somewhere on a year-end list that’s already hinting at being another challenge to assemble many months from now. If you’re any fan of Slough Feg, Bolt Thrower, or Holy Terror, you’d be doing yourself a terrible disservice by not investigating beyond my review, because this blows a huge percentage of cookie cutter modern throwback thrash to pieces. Incendiary is right.

Luxi Lahtinen

03/2010

To every Ares Kingdom fans´ immediate joy, that 2nd album has finally been released, so naturally people tend to ask: ´Was it worth all this wait then´? Well, after listening to the album for the last 2 days in a row (which by the way carries the name, INCENDIARY) - so devotedly, full of sheer excitement as one possibly can, I can safely yet securely say, it definitely was. The old saying ´all the finest wine ripens in due time´ holds so much truth inside as far as Ares Kingdom´s new opus is concerned. I would be lying if I stated something else regarding this fine outcome of these Kansas City blackened deathrash veterans (´veterans´ in that sense the AK line-up features ex-members from such cult UG metal acts as Order Fron Chaos, Vulpecula, Nepenthe, etc.).

INCENDIARY, with its 9 new Ares Kingdom tracks, is much more advanced sounding yet more varied opus than its predecessor, RETURN TO DUST. What you can find more from this ripping nine track package, is that aforementioned variation of the songs - from slower passages ("Descent of Man" and "Gathering the Eagles" both have some really nice, heavy passages) to more aggressive assaults ("Beasts That Perish"; probably my favorite track out of the 9 songs on this record), to longer, amazingly catchy instrumental sections to a radically increased amount of solo work by the courtesy of Order From Chaos fame Chuck Keller (lost my count already how many solos there actually are on the whole record) - among other things. Other than that, the album sounds quite much more a refined work from them, like every part for each song would have been thought out hundreds of times before nailing these parts together in the studio for good. Analyzing the album through song by song seems very pointless and somewhat even unnecessary as INCENDIARY needs to be heard as its own firm wholeness - without raising some songs over the other songs. But what is definite already, the band has really topped themselves as far as the album´s both musical as well as lyrical aspects are concerned - and I believe the fans can also see and appreciate that when they get to hear the record.

To put it in short, the songs on INCENDIARY represent old school death/thrash in its best form that should absolutely please both the fans of the band as well as fans of this particular genre in question too.

Then the lyrics on INCENDIARY. I have always said - and will say it again, but in my sincere and honest opinion Chuck Keller has always been one of the better and more ingenious metal lyricists in my books of respect and admiration. In fact, the info kit that arrived together with the CD (thanks Ares Kingdom!), sums up Chuck´s sharp and beautifully flowing lyrical approach on INCENDIARY, saying, ´... lyrical themes on INCENDIARY explore significant ideas, historical as well as contemporary, through subjects as varied as religious extremism ("Incendiary"), the Creation vs Evolution debate ("Descent of Man"), elitism and nihilism ("Beasts That Perish"), anti-complacency and the danger of appeasement ("Gathering the Eagles") - and the Chernobyl disaster of 1986 ("Abandon in Disease"). Couldn´t possibly have put it myself any better than this. Anyway, be sure to read his lyrics on this record as they all reek of perfectionism and genius.

Our beloved chaosmongers in Ares Kingdom have truly made a great and worthy return with INCENIDIARY. You neither can possibly live without it - nor die without hearing it first. I am already certain that this album will not get too many contenders this year to conquer its massive throne as one of the genre´s finest albums to date. Who actually knows, probably INCENDIARY will stay on the top of its well deserved throne ´til the end of this year? Let time tell that... ;o)

Jump right in, head first to "Incendiary" and "Descent of Man" to get your fix. Two straight up classic thrash anthems with a grim and bleak forecast: “The Destruction Of Sennacherib”. One killer instrumental segue which leads into "Silent Mortal Flesh (Convergence)", a riff-filled ass kick that picks right up where “The Destruction Of Sennacherib” left off. It’s like this for most of the album, clean and precise interplay between the tracks. It’s not until the soft and quiet intro to “Ashen Glory” that the flow is interrupted.

“Ashen Glory” is the most engaging cut on the album. From the intro to the build up and the immediate break, I don’t think they could have made a better thrash anthem. Paired with Blume’s vocals, we hear the story of destruction and smell the embers in the distance. “Beasts That Perish” leads off with a lion roaring in the distance and some series drums from Mike Miller. It’s a real wrecker of a track. Neck-snapping riffs offset by crisp and precise drums. The next two tracks fit in well with Ares Kingdom’s pre-assigned ass kicking. Coming in to drop the final megaton is “Abandon In Place”, the 8-minute blast that comes in waves. Incendiary, at this point, is ending and there’s nothing left.

With a solid sound and excellent vocal presence, It’s hard to see why Ares Kingdom isn’t a better-known thrash band. They could easily compete with any of the big-guns and their sound fits their album’s imagery quite well without being too over the top and show-boaty. The sound quality in Incendiary is very true to metal. It’s not too over-produced or clean, which is essential to their image and presence as a kick-ass metal band living in a post-apocalyptic world. It’s the perfect trajectory to make their next release even more successful. All this album needed was an extra bit of kick to knock it up a grade.

I’m usually much more of a fan of the faster, more maniacally paced style that dominate the death-thrash genre, but there’s something to be said for a band that is able to tame the unrelenting hooves of Hades with slower to mid-paced tempos yet still retain a solid and quite powerful overall sound. While the pace may be slower for the most part, Incendiary is just that, a highly combustible, aggressive, yet melodic blend of bruising death metal and thrash with just about no filler at all.

Amongst the stacks of catchy, well written and transforming riffs that the band packs into the album is a tinge of melody that reveals a more unique approach to death-thrash that’s quite refreshing. Ares Kingdom seem to sense the perfect moment for each ebb and flow, each swell of discontent, each spleen rupturing blast — and deliver it with precision and feeling. This is one hell of an album!

Incendiary
The opening track is a beast of a song, letting loose right from the onset with a pretty up-tempo, bludgeoning pace and shredding riffs. Vocally, the band’s message is delivered with a raw, raspy and down right evil growl that is relatively easy to understand. The pace slows a bit for the the majority of the song, but picks up here and there to change things up on you, especially with the face searing lead around 1:40. There’s a bit of a blackened edge to this song that adds an additional dimension to the album’s aesthetic.

Descent of Man
“Descent of Man” is a more burly song with beefier riffs and heavy drum work. There’s a bit of a groove running through the song’s textured guitars and growling vocals. The band’s melodic elements aren’t as prevalent in this song as the album opener, but they do make an appearance here and there. This is another caustic, ripper of a song that at almost seven and a half minutes in length packs a boat load of everything the band has to offer. Holy hell, the lead around 4:40 is bad ass and just descends into the fire pits of Hell before rising once again into the world of mere mortals.

The Destruction of Sennacherib
A much more open, melodic sound greets the listener on this next track. It’s catchy, well performed and has plenty of atmosphere as the first lead comes in. The riffs that follow have a classic thrash vibe to them that just carries the song’s momentum along smoothly into the next bit of guitar fun as news sound clips fade in from the distance, giving the track a bit of a chaotic, disorganized feel. This short instrumental last but two and a half minutes.

Silent Mortal Flesh (Convergence)
After that brief break in the action, Ares Kingdom get back down to business with a hellified lead to open up “Silent Mortal Flesh.” The patterns to the lead vocals on this one match the groove of the song perfectly and only add to the head banging fun that ensues. There’s another stellar lead around 2:40 that really shows what Keller is more than capable of producing. Fucking awesome song.

Ashen Glory
“Ashen Glory” takes about 20 seconds or so to fade into light guitar work that has a vibe that reminds me of Cathedral for some reason. That feeling of similarity is quickly eclipsed, however, as the guitars eventually morph into driving, thrashing riffs along with pounding drum work. The overall feel of this song is a bit more raw and evil when compared to the fuller feel of the previous tracks. I love the riffing and screams that close out the song.

Beasts That Perish
Mmmm… sound effects. After the sounds of giant croaking frogs has passed the band really lets loose with a crazy array of disjointed drumming and riffs before settling into a churning, driving pace with pile driving rhythms. This is a no-frills, blasting death-thrash song if ever there was one. This is the kind of shit that gets me pumped for an album. At over seven minutes in duration, this is another song that has more than enough to keep you fully entertained without and meandering or stalling.

Consigned to the Ages
“Consigned to the Ages” is another short (2:43), well written instrumental that features acoustic guitar.

Gathering the Eagles
“Gathering the Eagles” has a bit of a blackened vibe to the opening guitar work that accompanies some seriously pounding drums — dude must have been pissed at something when recording this track. This is a slower moving beast of a song with melodic influences on the guitars and contrast nicely with the raw vocal barks and growls. I’m digging the hell out of this song.

Abandon in Place
Wrapping up the album is “Abandon in Place,” a song that starts off slowly with riffs and drums that fade in over the first 1:20 or so before the band gets into a frenzied pace with driving guitars, aggressively delivered vocals and unrelenting drums. The lead around 2:15 has a bit of a muffled feel to it, but it works well for the song. Man, these dudes picked the perfect track to close out an album — this thing is a bruising monster of a song that descends into temporary madness before arising from the dark pits on soaring guitars. Wow.

Chris P.

01/22/2010

The Americans, it seems no matter where exactly you can now locate exactly stylistically it, just give ARES KINGDOM on the creation of some new sounds. In homage to some overly long songs, the four respectfully of tough, traditional musical art, and the influence list reads like a who's who "of Thrash and Death. Old EXODUS, METALLICA and TESTAMENT, VENOM and POSSESSED. KREATOR, SODOM, and PROTECTOR. Old SEPULTURA and SLAYER. Ancient MORBID ANGEL. Metallic HELLBASTARD. Just all the troops, the patch is needed on any well-stocked cowl.

In a very organic sound robe here lovingly executed clichés, blast the reef and saw, Frontkeucher Alex gasps and scolds mysterious and hoarse in the membrane, and the drums rumble around triggerfrei wonderful and genuine. True missiles in songwriting like the guys might not be, looks much more "Incendiary" is more like a "Best of plate shelf. But this disc is a pleasant love out to Altschulgeknüppel, so some make up for that. Obviously, it's ARES KINGDOM, primarily concerned that it batscht properly. And it does.

CONCLUSION: If the bands mentioned has aftermarket needs should, perhaps only time where to start with, but who is well equipped already has, with "Incendiary," a slice of the closet, you can put on quite as alternative views. One would expect not just to get here, given the extremmetallische revelation.

(Translated horribly from German to English by Google Translate.)

Islander

Some people say that about us, but we really don’t fucking care. We ain’t changing our ways. Plus, we think we know how to make clear when a band really throws us out into an abyss of awesomeness that’s deep and wide — when a collective of musicians truly caves in our skulls in an irreparable way. Today is one of those days, the band is Ares Kingdom, and the album is aptly called Incendiary.

This is one of those instances when we feel especially challenged in our ability to accurately describe in words a sensation produced by powerful sounds. Obviously, we’re gonna try, but all we can hope to achieve is rough justice. You gotta listen for yourself to really understand what these dudes have pulled off.

How to sum this up? What’s striking about this band is their ability to connect deeply to the roots of thrash and death metal and make those sounds come alive with the same power and authenticity that have caused the genres to live as long as they have, but at the same time to create something new and amazing. (continue reading after the jump, and listen to an awesome song from Ares Kingdom . . .)

Wouldn’t you know, Ares Kingdom comes from Kansas City, Missouri. Not New York, not Sweden, not Norway. Kansas City. Not the first place you would look for this kind of band, but there they are. We’ve praised the fortitude of extreme metal bands from places like Costa Rica, Moldova, the Basque Country, and Romania, but there are cities in our own country that pose similar challenges, and Kansas City has got to be one of them

Look at the photo over to the right, and you’ll know these aren’t teenagers trying to capitalize on the latest fad. These dudes have been playing for a while. They look like they lived through the genesis of this music, like its tendrils have sunk down deep into their minds and their guts, like a life-giving form of cancer, like they’ve paid their fucking dues. And they’ve hung in there, somehow, for almost 15 years. In the music, it shows.

The band was formed in 1996. We don’t know exactly what hurdles they had to surmount to keep the music going this long, but we can guess. In that decade and a half, Ares Kingdom have produced a scattering of EPs and only one other full-length release, Return to Dust, in 2006. We suspect that the pressures to surrender over that period of time would have crushed most people trying to keep this kind of music alive, but not these dudes.

The maturity of the band shows itself in the lyrics and in the album art. Lyrically, the songs are eloquent in their condemnation of how unbelievably fucked-up the human race can be, how intolerance and extremism can lead to suffering, how shortsightedness can lead to disaster, how over-reaching selfishness can lead to Hell on earth.

At the same time, consciously or not, what the music proves is that for all the flaws inherent in human nature, we are capable of transcendence, of connecting to each other at an almost atomic level, down deep, where emotion and spirit meld us together.

And then, there’s the album art. And again, it reflects the choices of people who have lived some life and learned something from it. The cover is a painting by Joseph Pennell (1857-1926), and is titled ‘That Liberty Shall Not Perish From the Earth.’ It was a poster for the USA’s Fourth Liberty War Loan in 1918. It’s eerily current, for being almost a century old.

That’s only the start. The CD itself includes a beautiful, glossy, 16-page booklet with the lyrics written in silver calligraphy (by the band’s lead guitarist, Chuck Keller) over a background of historical artwork that connects to the lyrics of each song. It’s worth the price of admission all by itself. It’s an exhibit in support of the case that visual and musical art go hand in hand.

And then, there’s the music. (You knew we’d get there eventually.) Here, too, the maturity of these dudes is powerfully in evidence. The dominant motif is blistering thrash riffage, down-tuned, fuzzed-out, hammering, and head-bangingly compulsive. The kind of old-school thrumming that connects with the reptile part of your brain that only wants to feel and eat and breathe.

The bellowing vocals from Alex Blume are soulful and bestial and embracing — harsh and vicious and elemental in their power. Mike Miller’s drumming is also a thing of beauty — punkish and hard-rockish and arena-rockish, with damned few blast beats or double-kicks.

But what sends this music right out into the magnetosphere are Chuck Keller’s guitar solos. Almost every song includes an attention-riveting eruption of clean guitar fire. Emerging from the fuzzed-out head-banging guitar pulses, they’re more than technically jaw-dropping. They’re organic, they’re heart-felt, they’re the kind of blistering whirlwinds that call to mind the energy and soul of the best heavy metal.

And in between the infectious head-bangers, you’ll find infectious melodic instrumentals (“The Destruction of Sennachherib”, “Consigned to the Ages”) that are as heavy as they are beautiful.

Think of the bleeding edge of rock ‘n roll over the ages — whether it’s the Beatles, or the Rolling Stones, or Led Zeppelin, or the Sex Pistols, or The Clash, or Death, or Entombed, or At the Gates, or Slayer, or fill-in-the-blanks-yourself. It’s all a young person’s game, ripping the shit out of the envelopes that enfolded whatever music had settled into a boring dominance before they arrived.

And then think of the bands that took those revolutionary novas and evolved and perfected them. And then think of the bands that breathed new life into those emergent forms of extravagance. We thing Ares Kingdom are in that league.

Forget all our wordiness. Here’s a two-word review: FUCK YEAH!

Check it out for yourself. Here’s one of the awesome tracks off of Incendiary. Listen, and then go buy this shit. You will listen to it over and over again.

(The following was posted later:)

I suppose this topic is sappy, and sappy isn’t metal. But maybe it really is. You be the judge. And if you conclude this is just too much emotional tripe, chalk it up to an excess of tequila

What motivated us to write about parents (besides too much tequila) was our recent piece on an awesome KC band called Ares Kingdom and some messages we received in response to it. In addition to praising the music, we praised the album art — the kind of thing that many bands do poorly, and that’s often lost in our download culture when it’s done well.

The album art on the Ares Kingdom release is truly inspired, though you’ll never see what we mean unless you fork over the dough to buy a CD. As we explained in our review, the 16-page booklet that comes with the CD is a montage of historical artwork by many artists (including the cover art, which was created by Joseph Pennell in the last year of World War I), and the lyrics are written over the top of the art in beautiful silver calligraphy.

We read the liner notes too quickly and wrote in our review that the calligraphy was done by this band’s awesome guitarist Chuck Keller. That appears to have been an error, as was pointed out by a comment on our post by Splash. According to the comment, it was done by Chuck’s father. And that (along with the fucking tequila) made us think about parents.

We don’t know Chuck Keller, or his dad. What we do know is this: We don’t deserve our parents. We don’t “earn” them. They are who they are, and we are who we are. If they love and support us (as appears to be true of Chuck Keller’s dad), that’s a gift, for which we should be fucking thankful. If they fail to understand us, or worse, if they undermine and damage us, it’s usually not our fault, though we so powerfully take our cues from them that we think it is. (more of this after the jump . . .)

Lots of metalheads followed a path to metal as a refuge — a refuge from rejection or abuse by peers, and by parents, a place where we could be become part of a community that we couldn’t find closer to home, a place where no one would judge us based on superficialities, a place where we could be ourselves, a place (maybe the only place) where we felt empowered.

Lots of metalheads followed a path to metal for entirely different reasons — because it made us feel free and wild, because it was just a fuckload of fun, because it presented a primal voice for what we were feeling, or because it gave us a vehicle for creative expression that just didn’t present itself in any other way that made the right connection to our spirits.

In some cases, it was part of an escape from a fucked-up home life completely lacking in empathy. In other cases, it was simply what we needed to be, and we were lucky enough to get the full (if occasionally mystified) support of our parents.

So that brings us back to Ares Kingdom. While begging the forgiveness of Chuck Keller and his dad for our presumptuous speculation, here’s what comes to mind: This is a band that plays pretty extreme music. They’ve been laboring in the vineyards for a long time. (And this really isn’t age discrimination, because I’m an older than average metalhead myself.) And yet here we find Chuck Keller’s dad contributing beautiful, meticulous calligraphy to the album art for his son’s album.

Maybe Chuck and his mates deserved that kind of love, maybe they earned it, but we still think it’s more a gift than something deserved. Many things in life are deserved, both good and bad, but in our opinion, the devotion of a parent isn’t earned or lost. It’s either there, or it isn’t, it either survives or it doesn’t, and it has very little to do with you, and very much to do with them.

We’re all victims and we’re all beneficiaries of those who raised us — in widely varying degrees. And more often than not, we don’t even see with clear eyes the full balance of the equation until it’s too late. We all fuck up, and we either surmount the fuck-ups or drown in them, based to an an overwhelming extent by how our parents react. The same is true of our victories. We use them as platforms to greater things, or we waste them, based to a large extent on how our parents react to them. And in both cases, it’s much more a roll of the cosmic dice than anything we merit.

In the end, you are what you make of yourself. But there’s no denying that life is so much easier when you have a parent who has your back, and so much harder when you don’t. And the most important lesson you can take from the dice-roll of your own circumstance is to remember that fact, if and when you become a parent.

D Chuck Keller’s dad cares enough about his son’s art to give his own art to the enterprise. We don’t know anything else about him but that, but that much is a gift.

Here endeth the lesson. Hope you have a good Saturday. Tomorrow, we’ll shelve our philsophizing (along with the tequila) and get back to some seriously awesome metal.

Chris Kee

Jorge del Amo Mazarío

"Incendiary" is, as I said, the second work of ARES KINGDOM, and I think this time the title could not be more successful. The proposal certainly remains about their first job, I would even say that in terms of production this again recorded in their own studios Very Metal Sound, sounds even more garajero that the first disc, more like of course to their previous EPs and demos, they sound more raw and primitive, where the guitars sound distorted to the point, the bases could not be more basic (forgive the redundancy), and Alex really dirty with voices that are going to the hair to a material that Overall, I was hooked more than what had been done so far.

The formula does not change course. Dark Thrash mixed with good death, but mostly not too fast thrash metal passed through the sieve of the "vulgar" and underground, for some subjects that persuade, and where I see more variety and inspiration in really sharp riffs in which leads to Slayer doing amazingly primitive levels, with a dark and magic worthy of the best of the demos that will delight those who seek just three quarters of an hour of death / thrash sincere and almost disinterested, which is what means "Incendiary." Here however there is really good issues, which destroy these halls and small clubs, songs like "Beasts Shall Perish", probably the topic that has killed me the entire disk, a court proves he is working a lot more material and in the background is not as simple as that, which shows a great progression and variety in their riffs, with a good intro and a body of the item sounds a lot like death / thrash, death / thrash by definition. I have to emphasize in particular that, that "Incendiary" is a good job that not only can get that feeling of primal metal underground in all its cruelty, but we will also find topics that only musically rich past by that screen, something not very common, of course, with special attention to a tremendous welcome that populate this CD from beginning to end. Do not miss either the final cuts like "Abandon in Place", eight-minute title track the initial, or "Silent Mortal Flesh (Convergence).

A very thorough job so by a good group that holds much more than what a priori lets see, one of those records that you enjoy enough to the first but is gaining even more with the passage of the listening ...

(Translated from Spanish to English by Google Translate.)

Kyriakos “NG” Athanasiadis

Erik Thomas

What gives Ares Kingdom a lot of its nostalgia is the gruff but not growled vocals of Alex Blume and the use of frequent solos that drench the effort in a whole late 80′s vibe and honesty that’s not over produced or focused entirely on one single element or genre.

Most of the albums highlights are the tracks that deliver some nifty old school melodic solos and catchy, steady, thrashing, grumbling metal such as the title track, rangy “Descent of Man”, “Silent Mortal Flesh (Convergence)” and “Ashen Glory”, in fact the albums whole first half. But when the band tries to turn up the intensity and menace (“Beasts that Perish”, “Abandon In Place”) and render some more deathly blast beats, it begins the waver and simply lacks that bite to make it convincing. That stuff is best left to Helmkamp.

The dry, simple production is effective in being old school but still carrying the weight of the music without being forced or overly retro. However, as a whole, the album, with its longer that usual songs does tend to start wheezing and huffing in its later stages, with less memorable moments and some rather filler acoustic moments and interludes. But that doesn’t make the rest of the albums energy any less enjoyable and a nice few tracks of solid old school death/thrash metal that’s a pleasant change from über brutality, triggered drums and breakdowns.

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The production on this record is even better than on the first album, Return To Dust. This record has the same overall clarity, but there's more low-end and perhaps a bit more distortion as well, which lends the songs even more impact than before. The occasional samples are tastefully done, also, and serve to accentuate rather than distract from the music. As on the first record, the guitars and vocals are right up front in the mix, with audible bass work and crisp, clear drums in the background. The lead guitar sound is especially notable -- the solos sound fantastic, and I especially like the way they've been mixed to highlight the variation between the different guitar parts.

If Return To Dust was the product of a band working to get beyond the limitations of subgenre, then Incendiary is the result: on this record, Ares Kingdom soar way beyond categorization, "as blood red contrails streak the skies". This isn't death metal, thrash metal, or heavy metal; it's something new, yet something old, forged from the essential elements of all three. Ares Kingdom is a much-needed island in a sea of bands that sound like other bands, but at the same time, they are still undeniably metal.

The songwriting on Incendiary is often epic, yet it's also refreshingly straightforward. Nothing is progressive-for-progressive's-sake here: every single one of these songs is suitable for headbanging. "Ashen Glory" is the perfect example; it's a complex tune, heavy on instrumental parts, yet the whole thing is built around a driving, near-frantic riff/vocal pattern. "Descent of Man" goes the other direction, packing many different riffs and tempo changes into a little over seven minutes. Every transition is effortless, every part serves the overall whole, and when the song's climax finally arrives, it's amazing -- Chuck Keller's solos must be heard to be believed. There's even a good dose of classic metal influence, particularly on "Beasts That Perish"; the balance between old and new on this track is brilliant, especially during the conclusion.

There are shorter tracks on the record as well: "Incendiary" makes for a ripping opener and a perfect taste of what's to come, "Silent Moral Flesh (Convergence)" is an aggressively triumphant track that's among my favorites here, and there are a couple of roughly two-minute instrumental-only songs. I like the way the band upends the usual short/fast:long/slow formula: "Abandon in Place" is simultaneously the longest and most unhinged track on the record, with a greater amount of feral, bestial energy than 99% of the bands going under the name. The combination of thrashing guitar, pounding drums, and snarled vocals here should silence anyone who dares to wonder whether all this development has tamed this band! The extended solo at the end is the perfect way to close out the album.

The lyrics on Incendiary deserve special mention: very few metal bands have this level of lyrical maturity. Fortunately, Alex Blume's vocals are more than up to the task, as all of the words are perfectly understandable and delivered with tons of feeling and force. Taken together, "Incendiary" and "Descent of Man" examine the rise of religious fundamentalism, both in the West and the Middle East. "Silent Mortal Flesh (Convergence)" and "Ashen Glory" likewise seem to work together -- a "liberation and challenge" indeed -- and "Beasts That Perish" dares to denounce the nihilism, empty hedonism, and smug self-certainty that too often passes for "elitism" in metal. "Gathering the Eagles" captures the dangers of appeasement and the inevitability of war... and "Abandon in Place" is about nuclear fuckin' disaster, in case all that was too complicated for you!

This is getting to be a long review, so I'll put it simply: it's January 1, and Incendiary is the best record of 2010. I'll be shocked if anything better than this comes out this year, so I might as well say it now. Hell, you can look for this one on the best-of-decade lists in 2020... and if something like this is the future of heavy metal, I hope I'll still be around to hear it. Highest recommendations.

Standout tracks: "Silent Mortal Flesh (Convergence)", "Beasts That Perish", "Gathering the Eagles"

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