__________.____ ______________________________ .__ _______ ________ \______ \ | \_ _____/\_ _____/\______ \ |__|\ \ / _____/ | | _/ | | __)_ | __)_ | | \| |/ | \/ \ ___ | | \ |___ | \ | \ | ` \ / | \ \_\ \ |______ /_______ \/_______ //_______ //_______ /__\____|__ /\______ / \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ artist: Victim of Fire title: The Old Lie year: 2025 genre: Death Metal type: Album label: Human Future Records language: English rel. date: 2025-08-01 source: WEB/MP3 quality: CBR 320kbps / 44.1 kHz / Full Stereo runtime: 00:37:48 size: 98.44 MB rip date: 2025-08-01 source url: https://www.deezer.com/album/777847871 tracklist: 1. The Old Lie 4:27 2. Apocalyptic Inclination 3:20 3. Wayward Light 2:21 4. Nightmares of Ceasefire 3:43 5. Soldiers Dream 4:03 6. Discordance 3:21 7. Barren Path 2:36 8. Front Towards Enemy 2:40 9. Disharmonist 7:04 10. Aces High (Iron Maiden cover) 4:13 release notes: These guys have a very in-your-face thrashing take on crust. The guitar sound on this album is not as raw as some, and the energy keeps things moving, as the layered guitars seek harmony rather than dissonance. Metal-core at the time might be a fair enough reference point. The lyrics to the opening track deal with the realities of war. There is more hyper-aggression here than the kind of bleak apocalyptic feel I normally get from crust. Funny enough, the second song is titled "Apocalyptic Inclination" but it runs off more of a thrashing rage than deliberate darkness. The vocals are snarled in time with the rapid-fire riffage, so you are lucky to discern a few words here and there. Mways into the songs, things take a more melodic turn to provide dynamics. "Wayward Light" works off a similar energy as the previous, so much so that I begin to listen for the dynamic nuance. There is a bit of black metal influence lurking in the storm of riffs unleashed here. "Nightmares of Ceasefire " opens with a clean guitar intro before meeting at the crossroads of thrash and punk. This does result in some what hookier riffing. The theme of the album seems to be war. I suppose they are raging against it. If they were Slayer or a death metal band, they would need to be celebrating it. The rabid speed they are playing has more in common with Slayer. Though I think the raw "Show No Mercy" era. They lock into a few powerful chugs. The guitar wanders off into a more melodic place to end the song. "Discordence" is more like old school hard-core in its chugged attack. The more melodic guitar parts that open "Barren Path" give way to straight-up metal guitars that might as well be on a Darkest Hour album. The scowling snarl of the vocals on "Front Towards Enemy". "Disharmonist" finds guitar melodies working their way into the chaos. This might be the most black metal moment on the album yet. They throw them into a more metal core, with a pretty powerful gallop. Speaking of Gallop, the last song is a cover of "Aces High". Iron Maiden is one of my favorite bands, so to cover them is to be heard under a more microscopic ear. This song is going to be hardest for their bassist. The guitar harmonies and played perhaps a little too fast as they thrash out the verses to compensate for the snarl of the vocals. Of course, the big hook at the chorus becomes a moot point. I think it's best to think of it as a thrashing metal core album and less of a crusty album.