Forever In Terror-Forever In Terror

In-Demand Records
2013

The story behind Streetsboro, Ohio's Forever In Terror seems to start back in 2003 when drummer Nick Borukhovsky first went about the task of putting a group together. After the band tired out a couple of different names and went about the all to common line-up changes that seem to haunt just about every band out there these days they were finally settled on their current moniker. The rest is as they say history. Well, there is actually more to the story of this five-piece band, but for the sake of time (and seeing as I might try to swing an interview sometime in the coming week or so with these guys who were formed just one town over!), we will just skip a bit of  the who, what, where and why and instead concentrate our efforts on this self-titled release. Besides drummer Nick Borukhovsky, whose skill on drums is never in question, the current lineup features lead vocalist Chris Bianchi, guitarist/vocalist Johnny Burke (who seems to have been the only member besides Nick to have been around back in the very beginning of this group's formation), guitarist Glenn "Glizzy" Moore and bassist Chad Lundgren.  Now, despite this group (in one form or another) being so close to me geography-wise I do have to say that this album is my first chance to check this Ohio act in all their glory! Sure, I've caught glimpses of the band here and there and I've heard sample clips of this group in action, but this is the first full-length album that I've heard by them. As the follow-up to 2009's "The End" (also released on In-Demand Records) this album certainly comes across as a "long-time in the making" release, especially for fans one would think! Of course I can't compare this album to "The End" as I've never heard it, but my first impression of "Forever In Terror" went something like this-"Hell yeah!" which was followed up shortly by "Wow, now here is band that knows how to merge melodic death metal and metalcore just the right kind of way!". Well, alright I do realize that those two (brief) statements might not exactly blow away anyone in the description department, but (more or less) that is what we're talking about with this Ohio heavy metal collective. After opener "We All Die Young" dropped the bomb on my speakers (blowing my stereo into a million pieces thanks to some near-thrash like riffage) the band worked their way through an album that, influence-wise, recalled everything from American acts like The Black Dahilia Murder, Trivium, Lamb of God and As I Lay Dying to some Swedish bands like At The Gates, The Haunted and In Flames. Now, clear your preconceptions of what all that might sound like morphed together as your journey through this self-titled album finds you coming face to face with a band whose technical proficiency is off the charts while, thankfully, never failing to realize that at the end of the day they just want to thrash out! Calling this band a melodic death metal/metalcore then might not be eternity fair as these Ohio natives seem to have gorged themselves on so much more that heavy metal has to offer! And besides that let's face a fact or two. Other then maybe Killswitch Engage (another influence on this group) traditional metalcore is going the way of the dinosaurs and needs a face-lift. Forever In Terror seems as poised as anyone else then to take this scene to bigger and better things! As it stands now this Ohio act might still be flying under the radar somewhat, but with an album like this on their resume now it doesn't have to stay like that for long. Forever In Terror, a band that I like equally from the mellow and harsh vocals all the way down to the mellow and harsh music!, is most definitely recommended and I for one will be keeping an eye out for more good things to come from this band from right down the street!