Altars - Opposition

If Strike First is Facedown's minor league affiliate, it won't be long before Altars is called up to the big leagues. Opposition is metalcore done right. The band is a nice balance of the modern scene with falling to the stereotypical. No constant breakdown, followed by a bass drop, into another breakdown, into some poorly sung clean vocals. You might even call Altars a throwback to the early European metalcore scene. While listening to Opposition, the music reminds me of early In Flames and Soilwork.

The title intro opens the records and instantly puts me in the frame of mind that I'm listening to some late 90's Swedish metal. So when the vocals and breakdown kick in Advocate, I was a little bummed. But the song quickly transitions back into an In Flames style riff and the keyboard undertones and help carry that driving melodic sound. Altars does a great job all throughout Opposition of balancing a love for European metal and combing it with a sound similar to bands like For Today and Impending Doom. The music is driving yet has a great sense of melody at times. Opposition isn't full of breakdowns, so when there is a breakdown, the listener doesn't feel like they're being assaulted with the same song over and over again.

Opposition is a great debut ep from a band with big things ahead of them. Altars deliver a solid and refreshing metal album in a scene that is far too often similar and stale.