Band:	Annotations Of An Autopsy
Album:	The Reign Of Darkness
Style:	Brutal death metal, Deathcore
Release date:	January 18, 2010
Guest review by:	s7mon

01. And So It Begins...
02. In Snakes I Bathe
03. Born Dead
04. Bone Crown [feat. Erik Rutan]
05. Emptiness
06. Catastrophic Hybridization
07. VII: The Horror, The Destruction...
08. Impale The Sun
09. Portrait Of Souls
10. Cryogenica
11. Into The Black Slumber

Whoa, what happened to these guys? In 2008 they were the most annoying of all British deathcore bands (Bring Me The Horizon don't count anymore, do they?) and merely two years after their repulsive debut album Annotations Of An Autopsy deliver a death metal record. And it's death metal all the way, from the beginning blast-beats of "In Snakes I Bathe" to the ultra-heavy riffing of "Into the Black Slumber".

I've no idea what it was that convinced the band to change their musical direction, but we all should be glad that some bands transformed from not-so-metal into doesn't-get-more-metal genre. The only thing that makes you go "hey, they sound like they used to play deathcore!" is the use of black metal shrieks, but it's rare and doesn't spoil the fun.

Okay, they play death metal now, so what? Another one-spin-stand CD to forget and look for something more stable? Thank God, no! Surprisingly, II: The Reign of Darkness is a really, really good album. I think it's too early to place them among the best UK death metal commandos, such as Carcass, Bolt Thrower or Benediction, but I must admit they have huge potential. Their sophomore effort is a piece of fresh death metal and encompasses all characteristics of the genre - from slow, doom-like riffs to mid-paced parts supported by double-bass drumming to extremely fast blast-beating and merciless raping of the guitars.

II: The Reign of Darkness brought two surprises. One being the change of genre played by the band (and I hope this change was sincere, not only a cash-oriented move), second being how good this album really is. I hope they will stick to death metal, because a) it's so much more pleasant than deathcore and b) they're so much better at it. Keep up the GOOD work, guys!