Insurrection - Exiled To Earth

So here we have a small release from the Netherlands based 4 piece, Insurrection. While barely 20 minutes of music, “Exiled To Earth” is a good introduction for those who have not heard their full length which was released back in 2019. Blending the sounds of early Soilwork, Act of Denial, and Children of Bodom this is a pretty much a chock full Melodeath EP to enjoy with plenty of guitar work to lead the charge. While they are labeled as Thrash also it is a little hard to hear the influence. Tracks like ‘Hopeless World Below’ has that Children of Bodom chug and pound with some backing keyboards and a mix of growled and snarled vocals. The vocals will probably be the hit or miss for people due to some of the pitches get extremely raw and raspy (similar to how Kataklysm sounded on their album “Serenity in Fire”- praised for the deeper vocals but eyebrows raised at the higher ones). There even sounds some Metalcore influence with some of the riffs as they lean towards the Killswitch Engage style or Trivium. Still, it is a solid track. For those who enjoy the more Thrash based type, ‘The End of Honesty’ is probably the only track on the album that really shows any Thrash influence. While not leaning towards Vader or Slayer or any big names to stand out, the groove factor is much better, while letting the Melodeath elements shine through the guitar solos. Drums pound with authority and even the bass can be heard. The pace is a little slower, but the mix of it all is great so nothing is lost.

For those looking to really hear Insurrection’s musical skill the instrumental ‘In Terram Extorres’ does just that. Featuring some female spoken sound clips, it suits the overall album theme very well and just features those enjoyable riffs and more keyboard work to really bring out some of the better Melodeath influences like In Flames or even Dark Tranquility. Every moment is a head banger one. The closing ‘Crimson Skies’ does more blending of early Dark Tranquility and mixes in more groove laden riffs. Vocals are very on point on this song so those who don’t like the higher pitched shrieks will enjoy the tone of them here. While it is less solo driven, the keyboards/ symphonics really enhance the atmosphere in the way the instrumental did (making this feel a bit like a Starkill album) and closes the album with some bombast. While overall “Exiled To Earth” is a good mini story, it pretty much brings for the cookie cutter Melodeath elements without any particular stand out track that screams something new or worthy of immediate honors. Some might argue the faults of the previous debut are still with it, but for those who haven’t heard it can ignore those faults and just enjoy the solid riffs and solos while debating whether they like the vocals. Overall, a good sign of what is come in the future from these guys.

3 / 5 STARS