Freya - As the Last Light Drains

Out of the ashes of Earth Crisis comes Freya. Former Earth Crisis vocalist Karl Buecher, bassist Bulldog, and guitarist Erick Edwards now team up with guitarist Darian Lizotte and drummer Corey Koniz in Freya.

For about a decade, Earth Crisis was one of the leaders in the hardcore movement. They reached their peak in 1998 when they signed to Roadrunner and released Breed the Killers. They soon landed with Victory Records and their final release together, Slither, saw a surprising shift in direction as Earth Crisis began to employ elements more associated with nu-metal and vocalist Karl was obviously pursuing more commercial success for the band.

This leads to the birth of Freya. Still on Victory, the band's debut is As the Last Light Drains. "Veritas" is a killer opening track. It has 'major hit' written all over it--it's got great vocals and a catchy groove. There's no doubt Disturbed and Korn fans would love this. From there, Freya is a mixed bag, although most of this album is very good. "Down in Flames" gives listeners a nice contrast between the clean and aggressive vocals--apparently guitarist Darian Lizotte supplies the majority of the clean singing. "Glasscating Smile" shows they are willing to rely almost exclusively on clean vocals and it works great, although listening to "Dead in Her Eyes" shows that Freya gets a little too close to emo sounding. "Doomsday Device" shows the band's more aggressive side, surely something In Flames fans will love. Meanwhile, "As the Last Light Drains" shows an obviously Max Cavalera (Soulfly, Sepultura) influence.

I'm sure Earth Crisis fans are cringing about Freya, but if you welcomed the growth found on Slither and want to hear more of it, Freya is a logical successor.