ALBUM REVIEW: Resilience – Lahmia

For any band looking to make a name for themselves in the over-saturated world of European death metal, leaving seven years between albums may not be the traditional route to take. That’s exactly the situation that Italian quintet LAHMIA find themselves in however, with over half a decade having flown by since debut full length Into the Abyss dropped in 2012. The good news is that the band still seem to have a sizeable following despite their relative inactivity, making sophomore record Resilience a highly anticipated offering that will be hoping to breathe some new life into the band and set them back on an upwards trajectory.

Kicking things off with what amounts to a very passable AMON AMARTH impression with slightly fewer longboats, Elegy for a Dying Sun makes it pretty evident that LAHMIA are not afraid of some good ol’ fashioned riff worship. It’s not all Guitar Hero wizardry, mind; the use of melody in particular shines through and is reminiscent of a band much further along in their career.

The pacing of this record is, on occasion, a real plus point, with blasts of balls-to-the-wall metal intertwined with slower, more foreboding vocal flourishes that hint at a more sinister territory that could well be explored on later releases. The downside of this arrangement however is that after a few tracks it all becomes a little formulaic; spaces for dynamic interplay instead filled with the same song structures for the majority of the record.

That’s not to say that the songs lose their impact. Her Frantic Call hits like a freight train in its middle third, with yet more searing riffs tearing through the landscape like a herd of stampeding elephants. The Frayed Lines of Time again features a generous helping of melodeath goodness, with a small vocal passage reminiscent of latter-day KATATONIA helping to bring something new to the table.

Void of Humiliation is an altogether more lumbering, methodical beast, slowing down the progress of the record but at the same time adding a much needed dose of variation heading into the latter stages of the album. Unfortunately, 11 minute opus The Age of Treason once again sees LAHMIA falling victim to the curse of similarity, with its extended runtime lacking any new direction and failing to fully take advantage of a broader, less restrictive canvas. Closing track Existential Vastness does at least in part live up to its title, hinting at a more  expansive realm that relies less on mountainous riffs and more on a brooding, atmospheric sound.

Overall the issue with variation (or a lack thereof) is a fairly small gripe, as every song here is an enjoyable morsel of well-crafted, hook-laden metal that feels strangely accessible despite its vocals crawling out of a crypt. This record is hardly reinventing the wheel, and there’s really very little on offer here that you haven’t heard a dozen times before, but what Resilience lacks in originality it more than makes up for in charm and, quite simply, quality. As a gateway album into the realm of extremity, this does the trick very nicely indeed.

Rating: 7/10

Resilience is due for release on January 18th via Scarlet Records.

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