Album Reviews

Off The Cross seemingly materialized out of thin air when they played their first show at Groezrock last year. Fast forward a couple of months and their first full-length is also a fact. “Divided Kingdom” shows a band that know exactly what they are doing. It’s rare that you hear a debut this accomplished. Part of this can probably be attributed to the fact that its members aren’t the new kids on the block, seeing as Off The Cross rose from the ashes of This Kid.

Following a short intro, opening track “Passenger” immediately rips you a new asshole with a blistering yet still groovy rhythm section, brutal riffs that slice right through you, vocalist Steven Van Crombruggen’s pissed off screams and a wicked little organ. From there on, they keep up the onslaught of aggression, only occasionally taking a breather through a couple of short, gloomy interludes. And you will need to catch your breath with tracks like the previously released single “Book Of Doom”, the pummeling “Confinement Of Our Souls” and the black metal-esque “Black Herd”.

Honestly, “Divided Kingdom” is an extremely solid album. It sounds incredibly slick and cohesive and comes right at you with a near-perfect mix of sheer aggression and melody. Pretty much the only thing you can fault them on, is that they wear their influences on their sleeves. As a result, whether or not you will swoon over “Divided Kingdom”, pretty much entirely hinges on how much you appreciate bands like Killswitch Engage and Lamb Of God.

Track listing:

1. Passenger
2. Book Of Doom
3. Confinement Of Our Souls
4. Interlude I
5. The Final Adjustment
6. Divided Kingdom
7. Interlude II
8. Prophet
9. Black Herd
10. Megalomaniac
11. Interlude III
12. Red Seas Flowing