Album Review: Titans Eve - 'Chasing The Devil' - Reviewed by: Geoff McGraw

Band Name: Titans Eve
Title: Chasing The Devil
Date of Release: June 2015
Record Label: Self-Release
Genre: Thrash
Website: http://www.titanseve.com 

Reviewed by: Geoff McGraw

Track listings: 1. We Defy 2. War Path 3. No Kingdom 4. Another Day 5. Chasing The Devil 6. The Grind 7. Stranded 8. The Endless Light

Four piece outfit Titans Eve drops, this their 3rd release, "Chasing The Devil" after having recorded it at Warehouse Studios with Eric Mosher (AC/DC, SYL, Senses Fail) and then being mastered by the legendary Jeff Waters of Annihilator.

The band was formed in 2008 and is comprised of brothers Brian and Kyle Gamblin, who both provide Guitar and vocals, they are joined by Bassist Jesse Hord, and Drummer Casey Ory. After 7 years together with the same lineup, during which they spent quite a bit of time performing live, they display a lot of chemistry which makes the album a strong offering.

Chasing The Devil's 8 tracks stick to a ferocious mid paced thrash sound, with a touch of modern metal. The dual guitar team displays not just tasty riffs but intertwining dual harmonies, which sometimes call the mighty Iron Maiden to mind, as well as settling into a deep comfortable groove when called for. Add in the down low and percussion and you've got one hell of a sound.

Unfortunately as powerful as the instrumentation is, the vocals seem to be of secondary concern. While tonally they almost invoke the work of Chuck Billy on Formation Of Damnation, they lack his power or dynamics. Remaining stagnant within a very small vocal range, They keep to a standard chanted delivery and phrasing across every song. This does nothing to push the song to the next level, and may in fact hinder the potential they have. Despite this, the vocals fit what the band does, so it's not unpleasant even if it's uninspired. 

There were 2 tracks that stood out for me in particular, are neighbors on the disc and cap the album off, Stranded and The Endless Night. Stranded sees Titans Eve switching pace entirely and settling into a mellow and haunting instrumental that would not be out of place in a film soundtrack. The album reaches it's climax with The Endless Light, which after the previous track kicks off with a lively riffed intro that has a strong maiden groove and keeps the energy high throughout. These two songs in tandem support each other and create a platform for them both to shine.

Titans Eve will certainly continue to gain momentum. I do hope that they expand the vocal template in future offerings, which will only serve to give them an even more powerful presence!

\m/ 7 \m/