Band:	Scarpoint
Album:	The Mask Of Sanity
Style:	Melodic death metal
Release date:	February 23, 2011
Guest review by:	Boxcar Willy

01. The Unknown, The Extinct
02. Numb
03. Ancient Curse
04. Bleeding Me Dry
05. The Mask Of Sanity
06. Only Truth
07. Hate Will Prevail
08. Ugly
09. Extermination
10. Despicable Lies
11. Last Winter
12. Burning In Hell
13. L.O.S.P

Scarpointis a fairly unknown band from Sweden. They haven't been around for a long time either, releasing only two full-lengths - one in 2009, and one at the beginning of last year. The Mask of Sanity is a killer release; it has lots of br00tality and a crazy amount of raw power that makes me want to bang my head in joy.

Seriously, this is a great album.

Scarpoint is a familiar sounding band (but you probably haven't heard of them)... it's almost shocking how similar they sound to other established bands. This album sounds like if Lamb Of God and DevilDriver were having a child but at the last moment in the hospital room, Lamb Of God told DevilDriver that it was not their child, and that they had cheated on them with Meshuggah. Scarpoint sounds so similar to those bands that I actually had to research the history of the band members to see if they played in any of those bands.

Songs like "Only Truth" and "Bleeding Me Dry" have the Meshuggah-like sound, with crunchy, erratic riffs and relentless vocals; whereas songs like "The Unknown, The Extinct" and "Despicable Lies" have a strong Lamb Of God vibe, with killer drums and vicious vocals. The album in general is tremendous though, despite its lack of originality. The DevilDriver aspect comes from the unrelenting speed of the music: almost every track fast-paced.

My love for this album lies in the guitars and bass. The guitar work is great, with a low chugging rhythm guitar juxtaposed with soaring leads, adding a slightly melodic touch to the aggression. The bass is noticeable in some songs, avoiding the problem that plagues many albums of today where the bass is buried behind the guitars and drums. A good example of clear bass on this album is the track "Hate Will Prevail". The drums are also very good; they show lots of variation and technicality. So it's not just mindless blastbeats at 600bpm.

Overall, I am impressed with this album. I recommend it to any thrash fans, or technical music lovers.

Highlights: "The Unknown, The Extinct", "The Mask Of Sanity", "Numb"