FALL OF CARTHAGE – Behold
Consisting of Arkadius ‘Akki’ Antonik from Suidakra on guitars and Martin Buchwalter of Perzonal War on drums (plus Sascha Aßbach on vocals), Fall of Carthage release a debut album "Behold" that has a lot of that American modern groove/thrash template in these 11 songs. Machine Head-like stomp, squeals, and power comes burning through "Imperfection", the occasional thrash nuances and double bass making this a touch heavier than expected. Sascha could be a dead ringer for Robb Flynn in terms of execution and pronunciation, aggressive and melodic when necessary.
When the band choose to put a little fury or introspection into the mix, songs like "Home in a Wasteland" or "Means to Be Alive" come up – but for the most part "Behold" contains a lot of the expected stop/start elements, power groove/mosh parts, and guitar/vocal hooks that make for plenty of stage diving, crowd surfing, pit action worthy concert outings. I suppose if you are not familiar with "Burn My Eyes"/ "The More Things Change"-era Machine Head, Fall of Carthage would probably seem very original.
As a result, "Behold" contains a lot of conventional riffs and grooves, sure to gain a touch of interest but not really something that most would maim their foes or friends over.
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