Metal Underground.com

Arise The Titan is the product of a group of musicians who found solace in modern death metal/deathcore. Their debut EP, “Our Collective Destroyer,” runs down the checklist of the finer points that The Black Dahlia Murder and Whitechapel were checking off themselves when they first started years ago. The band is unable to swerve around the cliche of chugging breakdowns on the last few songs, but for a good half of the EP, they prove to be more than capable to stand along with the other rising stars in the genre.

Passing on the generic instrumental opening “Red Skies Mourning” is a wise choice, in order to have a proper introduction to Arise The Titan in “False Entitlement.” The ruthless screams that vocalist Michael Leone belts out signal the coming of a storm of choppy riffs and trigger-happy drums. It’s a formable welcome party to the ears of death metal fans, and that celebration continues with “Bluntasaurus Rex.” The groan-inducing title aside, the technical perspective of the band unveils itself with a passionate solo, and a few wicked guitar notes passed along between the two guitarists.

Flexing their epic muscles with the five-minute “Consumed,” Arise The Titan has no fear in striving to further develop their sound. The pace slows, the rhythms pound the momentum ahead, and there is a multitude of dual guitar harmonies. It’s a shame the band is unable to build off that, as the EP begins a descent into mediocrity. An abundance of breakdowns and other ghastly deathcore traits, including the “ratifying gang chants,” hurt the latter material. Not even a few nifty musical tricks, along with inspired vocals, can wipe away the formulaic techniques used.

“Our Collective Destroyer” is acceptable, if lacking in the precision and finesse that comes from time together as a group. It should generate interest in a full-length, though the band would be best to take pieces from the earlier songs, instead of from the bland finality of “Eyes Of The Betrayer” and “The Fallacy.” An above-average production, coupled with snazzy guitar work, help to elevate this EP away from the mundane style of much of underground contemporary death metal.