Band:	Arsis
Album:	As Regret Becomes Guilt
Style:	Melodic death metal, Technical death metal
Release date:	December 28, 2007
Guest review by:	KC

[2001 Demonstration]
01. Elegant And Perverse
02. Wholly Night
03. Worship Depraved
04. Seven Whispers Fell Silent
05. Veil Of Mourning Black

[2001 Demonstration]
06. Fortune's Envy
07. Close
08. Painted Eyes

[Unreleased 2002 Studio Recordings]
09. Elegant And Perverse
10. Seven Whispers Fell Silent

[CD-Rom Video Segment]
+ Wholly Night
+ Veil Of Mourning Black
+ Worship Depraved
+ Evil [Mercyful Fate cover]

Everyone knows Arsis, who've now gone on to sign to Nuclear Blast for a release. Who knows the band's roots? Thanks to Negative Existence, who've put out an overlooked demo compilation release titled As Regret Becomes Guilt, we can now pore over the band's history and it's quite remarkable. It's not the melodeath we're accustomed to, well, not exactly. Why this release is relevant is because good music is timeless, and that's the reason we go back to the classics and never tire of them. This is rooted in the sounds of Michael Amott-era Carcass, which is Necroticism-Heartwork in particular in this context. What's shocking is the repulsive sickness and gusto with which the band doles out this music, emphasizing on the melodies indeed, similar to early Arch Enemy as well, but with vile, rabid vocals that were heard only on the Goregrind-era Carcass albums.

Carcass-worship has been done before but it's mostly the Symphonies of Sickness era that has been emulated by the likes of either Impaled or Haemorrhage, or more lately Gruesome Stuff Relish, or even back in the day by say Pathologist or to delve into the underground, Lymphatic Phlegm with its pathological sickness. Never before, or in striking memory with the exception of Carcariass, has this era of Carcass really been brought to life, in a way Arsis started off with. This release contains the band's two demos, both of which revel in Carcass-worship in a way that would make the fans of Surgical Steel proud. Hence the relevancy of the review of this release, years after its appearance, in both forms - demos as well as this reissue treatment.

The heaviness is something that needs to be touched upon, it's Burning Bridges era Arch Enemy level of heaviness with the vocals of early Jeff Walker, pulsating music hammering the music into the hearts of the weak, it's really going to be a shocker for the recent Arsis fans to hear material of Arsis this extreme and vicious. It's sizzling in every sense, a demo compilation worthy of notice simply because it pushed the limits and contrasted extremity with a rare melodic sense exemplified by Carcass and taken to a different level, in terms of progression, a logical one which could be fondly reminisced by any music lover let alone a fan of Arsis or Carcass.