Album Review: ART OF DYING – Rise Up

On their newest release, Rise Up, Vancouver, B.C.’s Art of Dying seek to continue the modern metal groove style for which they are known. Produced by David Bendeth of Bring Me The Horizon and Breaking Benjamin fame, Rise Up, is a blistering album full of blazing guitars, heavy rhythms, and stellar vocals. Pushed by Bendeth to make a solid album, Art of Dying have succeeded in every sense of the word. Stellar tracks “Best Won’t Do,” “Tear Down the Wall,” “Everything,” and the title track “Rise Up,” exemplify the overwhelming theme of the album, succeeding when people say you won’t. In an interview with lead singer Jonny Hetherington, he stated that, “(David Bendeth) pushed us to make the best record we could. There were a couple nights of crushed beer cans, and broken mic stands. David is known for bringing in session musicians if band members can’t make the tracks work. But after several late nights and early mornings, we got it accomplished.” The corresponding result is Rise Up.

Title track, “Rise Up,” is a crushing rocker with a blistering guitar solo featuring Dan Donegan of Disturbed, and Art of Dying guitarist Tavis Stanley. “Tear Down the Wall” features thundering rhythms from bassist Cale Gontier, and drummer Jeff Brown. The song is getting serious airplay on XM Radio‘s Octane channel. Change of pace track, “Everything,” was written after a particularly difficult time in vocalist Jonny Hetherington‘s relationship with his significant other. [columns] [column size=”1/3″]

Artist: Art of Dying
Album Title: Rise Up
Release Date: 11 December 2015
Playing Time: 00:44:44
Label: Better Noise Records

[list style=”music”] [li]Best Won’t Do[/li] [li]Rise Up (featuring Dan Donegan)[/li] [li]Tear Down the Wall[/li] [li]Eat You Alive[/li] [li]Dead Man Walking[/li] [li]Some Things Never Change[/li] [li]Everything[/li] [li]Space[/li] [li]Raging[/li] [li]Just for Me[/li] [li]One Day at a Time[/li] [li]Moth to a Flame[/li] [li]Ubuntu[/li] [/list]

Art of Dying toured extensively in 2012 and 2013 supporting Disturbed, as Dan Donegan had championed the band from the beginning. Many of the songs featured on Rise Up were written in green rooms and on tour buses on the road supporting Vices and Virtues. Art of Dying have their sights set on dominating modern metal, and the rock scene nationally and globally. Their incessant touring and gigging have made them a tight, focused and intense rock machine. 2016 will prove to be a fantastic year for Art of Dying, and Rise Up is a fantastic album. The question for Art of Dying in 2016 is not if Rise Up will be successful, but how quickly it will Rise Up.

[8/10]