As Hope Dies - Legions Bow to a Faceless God (2003)

Cost: $0.49

This CD is available for trade.

You may wonder why I cover so much metalcore when it's obvious I don't care for it.  IT'S BECAUSE OF GODDAMNED RELEASES LIKE THIS.  Aesthetically, the band is doing everything possible to convince me they are generic metalcore--there's the whole phrase-as-a-bandname thing, a cursive script logo, an absolutely dreadful thanks list, and an album cover in rust/sepia tones.  Yet the music is primarily furious Swedish melodic death worship.  There are breakdowns, and a few more hardcore influences show up in the second half of the album, but the CD is overwhelmingly melodic death metal based.  Even the main vocals, which are by and large the abysmal failure of many a metalcore/deathcore band, are a raspy black metal style here.  Ultimately, it feels more comfortable to just classify this as melodic death metal, but I've noticed online that the band is the subject of many a genre dispute.  Are they worth arguing about?  No.  Would I prefer to listen to a pure death metal band over this?  Yes.  Do I still find this preferable to almost any other post-'80s -core band out there?  Absolutely.