This is Fisthammer’s first official release since their inception in 2008, and they have a fair bit to be proud of. These Pennsylvania face-pounders are not your average death metal band by any means, and have a few extra elements which might elevate them above the mundane slew of so-called `modern’ death metal bands.

For one, they actually know how to write a tune. You remember; musical notes in a sequence that you can actually remember, that create some sort of feeling… Such things are lost on a great many bands in the extreme metal genres, but this band has definitely grasped the concept with both hands. Rather than trying to bludgeon you with a thousand time changes, and the same amount of fretboard-spanning riffs, these guys know how to let the music breathe, and allow atmosphere and genuine feeling to creep in there.

This is not to say that the album isn’t heavy; it is. There are plenty of punishing, brutal moments scattered throughout it; ferocious, blasting drums, guttural, aggressive growling vocals, and massive riffs, like slabs of steel crashing down on your cranium. The riffs really are pretty special actually; it is a long a time since I heard such monstrous, memorable and downright epic riffs in a death metal album. Aside from the aural battering, it is a pleasure to enjoy the sheer musicality that Fisthammer have on offer. Greg Hesselton’s guttural vocals are unusually expressive, which is another welcome change from the vast array of monotonous gurgling usually on display.

It has to be said though, for an American band, Fisthammer have a remarkably European flavour to my ears. There are many occasions on `Devour All You See’ where I find myself thinking of older Swedish bands of one sort or another. In particular they remind me of bands like Anata – finely balancing brutality with musicality. I am also occasionally reminded of Arch Enemy, as Fisthammer have a fair amount of heavy, stomping groove to go with their melodic aural destruction.  Not to say that they are a carbon copy of these acts; they forge their own musical path, but it references these types of bands a fair bit.

This album is not likely to set the world on fire; you have definitely heard it before. It is however, well executed, and refreshing in the sense that the majority of death metal bands with this level of technical skill, don’t seem to be able to write music this good. It is solid, heavy, pounding, aggressive, atmospheric and epic in places. For a debut album, `Devour All You See’ is incredibly well-played and professional, and I for one hope it leads to greater things for this talented band.

(7.5 Jon Butlin)

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