Edge Of Attack - Edge Of Attack

Edge Of Attack
Edge Of Attack
Spread The Metal Records

In a lot of ways, the release of Edge Of Attack’s new self titled release is something of a rebirth for the long running Canadian (Grand Prairie, Alberta based) outfit. After all, a lot has changed with Edge Of Attack since they were introduced to back in 2012.
Just to fill in some of the background information, Edge Of Attack formed way back in 2008. In the
years that followed, the band went through a few line-up reshuffles, before making the move towards recording their debut full-length effort in 2012.
In the six months that followed, Edge Of Attack once again went through a change of guard (The quartet became a quintet, with rhythm guitarist Dallas Dyck being added to the ranks alongside vocalist Roxanne Gordey, lead guitarist/vocalist Jurekk Whipple, bassist Denver Whipple and drummer Trevor Swain), and signed up with Nova Scotia (Canada) based label Spread The Metal Records. But what’s surprising at this point is that rather than re-release their debut, the band have seized the opportunity to give their debut a complete makeover, and inevitably relaunch themselves as a new band of sorts. Apart from the new cover artwork adorning the album, the album also features a new track listing, and new recordings of the said songs. So in a lot of ways, this new version of Edge Of Attack’s debut release is a big step up for the band. But while there are positives, there are also some negatives. And the biggest one is the band’s lack of focussed direction and original sound.
The opening track ‘In Hell’ is one of the album’s new additions, and in all honesty, isn’t one of the album’s stronger efforts. The metalcore-like riffs and drumming that introduces the song is solid enough, but the addition of the power metal-like keyboards into the mix sounds just a little too heavy handed. To add to the song’s woes, Gordey’s vocals aren’t as convincing as they should be during the verses. Despite the obvious negatives, the song’s strong chorus (Which is helped by the multi-layered gang vocals), the heavy riffing and brief passages of lead work do work exceedingly well.
The follow-up track ‘The Haunting’ is undoubtedly one of the album’s more memorable efforts with its solid riffing (Which in some ways reminds me of Iced Earth) and memorable groove, while ‘Take Me Alive’, ‘In The Night’ (The other new track added to this version of the album), ‘Rise Above’ and the fast paced title track ‘Edge Of Attack’ are competent efforts that will no doubt be considered passable, if a little bland to most listeners.
‘Demon (Of The Northern Seas)’ is one of the few tracks on the album that sees the band step a little outside of the box, with the folk/metal guitar riffing and influences spicing up the familiar sound, while the addition of guest vocalist Ivan Giannini (Who is a member of Italian power metal outfits Derdian and Ivory) also keeps things interesting.
Elsewhere, Ryan Bovaird of melodic death metal band Hallows Die adds some great growls to ‘The Damned’ (Which is easily the stand out cut on the album), while Norwegian vocalist Per Fredrik Asly (From Damnation Angels and Pellek) duets with Gordey on the lengthy power metal epic ‘Set The World Aflame’.
The re-release of Edge Of Attack’s debut is certainly a huge improvement on the original, and for that the band should be commended. But that’s not to say that there isn’t some inherit flaws on this new album. The band still hasn’t managed to find a sound their comfortable with, Gordey’s vocals still doesn’t sound connected with the band’s material and their song writing still needs major work.
Overall, while Edge Of Attack’s debut isn’t about to blow many away, it does at least show a small amount of promise for the future.

For more information on Edge Of Attack, check out - http://www.edgeofattack.com/

© Justin Donnelly