Hope for the Dying - Dissimulation

I think too much has been made of Hope for the Dying being a metal band. I don't want to say that in a negative way but I think the promotion of the band might turn some people away. Comparisons to bands like Iron Maiden and Queensryche seem to be completely out of line and I feel it's going to be a turn off for a lot of people who will like this record.

Hope for the Dying are a metal band through and through and that's great. But it's not any sort of old school vibe or power metal type deal. Fans of War of Ages, For Today, and other Facedown acts will still love Hope for the Dying, even though the bands brad of metal more closely follows that of Between the Buried and Me.

All of that to say I love Dissimulation! Its metal! Not metalcore, just metal. No breakdowns, lots of guitar solos! And I love guitar solos. Like a deathcore kid likes breakdowns and two stepping, I love guitar solos. There can never be too many and Hope for the Dying delivers!

Dissimulation starts off with killer artwork. It's awesome. As for actually music, after a kind of bland intro Vacillation kicks in with a rifftastic solo. Great track. Orison kicks in with a very BTBAM style intro. The songs never go into the technical/porgy stylings of BTBAM but the guitar work in on par.

The vocals are outstanding. The screams fit perfectly and even the clean vocals are placed nicely and aren't so obvious and formulaic that they become boring. And as a guy who normally hates clean vocals on metal records, that's a huge compliment.

As a metal fan I love this record and as someone who tires of the core records (Seriously, how many breakdowns can one listen to?) Dissimulation is a fresh record. Hope for the Dying has stepped up their game and made a great record. I liked their debut but it didn't leave a lasting impression. Dissimulation is one of the best records I've heard this year and is an instant favorite.

If you're a metal fan you must check out this album. It's worth your time and money.