A.C.O.D – II The Maelstrom (2015)

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Hailing from France, today we have A.C.O.D and their Melodic-ish Death Metal release “II The Maelstrom”. Delivering thirteen tracks of a very health mix of traditional Death Metal with some more modern and Melodic elements, this band sounds like a bastard child of Grave and Kalmah. We are constantly amazed at the quality of bands that are coming out of France, and this is another one of the good ones.

The band opens with the groovy “Another Path” before settling for a more Thrash-infused Death Metal sound in “Way of Death”, and then jumping into Melo-Death land with “Abuse Me”. This is the narrative in this release as the band slowly weaves back and forth from Melodic, to Thrashy, to old-school Death Metal, actually pulling it off gracefully and very cohesively.

With guest appearances from people like Bjorn Strid from Soilwork (in the crushing “Ghost Memories”) and Shawter from Dagoba on “Unleash the Fools”, the band shows how diverse and versatile their sound is. Musically, Raf’s drumming is very precise and hectic, keeping things powerful and tight, while the guitars provided by Chris and J.B. can compete with any other Melodic Death Metal outfit thanks to their superb quality and creatibity.

Some of our favorite songs are: “Words of War” and its killer melodic atmosphere, the punishing “Death Breath” and its high-octane vibe, and the two closing songs “Crimson” and “To the Maelstrom” which remind us of Finish Melodic Death Metal mixed in with some Modern Metal influences allowing the songs to be quite versatile.

Overall, A.C.O.D is a band that will surely be turning heads and snapping necks in the next few years with their skills. In “II the Maelstrom” the band manages to provide their fresh take on Melodic Death Metal, and greatly succeed in creating epic songs that people will mosh and headbang to. If you are a fan of the genre, you will not be disappointed by this very solid release.

Band: A.C.O.D Album: II The Maelstrom

Label: Self-Released

Release: September 15th, 2015

Official Site Social Media

Genre: Melodic Death Metal

Country: France

Rating: 90/100
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