Arisen From Nothing-In Nothing We Trust

Self-released/Independent
2012

 Even if it's not the first place you think of when you think of metal (as it will probably forever be known as the grunge central thanks to the likes of Nirvana, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden and Mudhoney) Seattle has always been a source of quality metal bands. This young band was formed in 2008 and has more in common with some of the great metal acts that Seattle gave us (bands like Sanctuary and Metal Church) then the grunge scene that gave the world Pearl Jam. Their promo material proudly displays the vast amounts of awards they have received in their young career and, judging by the strength of this recording, I'd argue that they are more than deserving of the various accolades they have thus far received in their home territory. "In Nothing We Trust" (a great album title if I do say so myself) is the sophomore release from Seattle's Arisen From Nothing and showcases a hungry young band with nowhere to go but up. The band's first recording was the "Speed of Life" EP (or is it a demo?) in 2009 with their debut full-length, "Prototype", following in 2010. This new album sees the addition of TJ Hill who brings a new level of professionalism to this young band. In fact, his range is a good selling point to this album but we'll get to that bit later. The band's ReverbNation page lists acts like Trivium, All That Remains, Bullet for My Valentine, Atreyu and Killswitch Engage as influences .All of those acts do come into play in Arisen From Nothing's sound as here we see a group that perfectly blends hints of modern hard rock/modern metal, melodic metal, metalcore, traditional heavy metal and the heavier American-style version of power metal that, in this young band's case, borders on thrash. Even without the lyric sheet in front of me it's obvious that the band's sophomore recording is heavily packed with numerous politically-charged messages. The album tackles relevant issues impacting our society as a whole so it's not lighthearted in the least. Lyrically it had me thinking about Sacred Reich's material (especially "Surf Nicaragua" and "The American Way") or even Metallica's "...And Justice for All". Thankfully it's more "The American Way" then "...And Justice for All" in not only the intensity department, but also in the fact that you can actually make out the heavy bass playing of Eric Hanson! As it's only a couple of months old the album's lyrics are as poignant as ever especially as we look at the decaying state of our country. Of course what good is any message without the proper voice to relay it? As hinted at earlier it's TJ Hill that helps make all the difference as the album unfolds. With ease he's able to offer vocal change-ups between tracks. He spits out the message as if his life was depending on it and plays with not only passion, but fire in his gut. Of course even the best vocalist can only do so much if the music isn't memorable right? Arisen From Nothing deliver these messages in a way that displays powerful modern metal with all the hallmarks of a well-oiled heavy metal machine. They play a brutal brand of metal that is chuck-full of technical riffs and heavy hooks. The album's opener, "In Nothing We Trust", is hard-driving modern metal with a touch of Metallica/Megadeth thrash added to the mix to keep things fierce. "Russian Roulette" (no, not a cover of the Accept song) offers seriously crunchy riffs...no, make that meaty riffs. They are the kind of meaty riffs that you can really sink your teeth into! "Mesmerized" actually embraces nu metal's heavier moments, but in a good way (yes, that is possible). It's main hook did seem to come from Run DMC's "It's Tricky", but when you consider "It's Tricky" has almost the same hook as The Kink's "My Sharona" it's not that big of a thing. "Bring the War" thrashes about in the same world as Killswitch Engage and As I Lay Dying. "The Shallow" is a more even-keeled metal moment while "Sick" is just like it's title says. It's sick, menacing modern metal. "Faith in Violence" can be taken in several different ways, but just like the album's others cuts it's powered by the menacing guitar work of Troy Elmore. In Troy Elmore's hands the guitar is itself a lethal weapon of warfare. Meanwhile the hard-hitting drums on "In Nothing We Trust" were preformed by Peter Breene. It should be noted though that Chris Black (who has the perfect last name for a metal musician) is the band's current drummer. As a whole you have got to give this young band due credit for writing more then just a simply-assembled, by the numbers, modern metal release. You can tell that a lot of thought and dedication went into this album. Words like powerful and gripping just don't cut it or do this album justice. It's more then just a good metal album as it's moving metal with a message. I was frankly quite surprised to find out that the album was recorded in Troy's living room by TJ. Especially as it was done with the help of protools. That goes against everything bad I've ever had to say about protools as "In Nothing We Trust" sounds like a professionally produced album. Special props should be given to the band for making this album sound insanely sick on what must have been a limited budget. You can find out more about Arisen From Nothing and hear this kick ass album for yourself at the link right below. The other link is for a killer Youtube video that is highly recommend. And of course it goes without saying that I highly recommend this album. How this band has managed to stay unsigned is beyond me. Hopefully that will change soon enough for Arisen From Nothing.

http://www.arisenfromnothing.com/afnhome.html 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAvFCjjLC-c