ARSIS We Are The Nightmare CD (2008)

Technical death metal has a reputation for disappearing up its own fretboard, all sweep-picked wankery and zero soul. Arsis never got that memo. Or they got it and used it to wrap a brick.

We Are The Nightmare is the Virginia quartet's third full-length, and it hits that rare pocket where technical melodic death metal actually sounds like it's enjoying itself. James Malone's guitar work is almost absurdly precise, but there's a viciousness underneath that keeps it from feeling like a clinic. Think the surgical aggression of Psycroptic crossed with the dark melodic sensibility of Anata, but with a distinctly American bite. Released in 2008 on Nuclear Blast, it remains one of the stronger entries in the tech-death canon, and one that rewards repeated listens without making you feel like you need a music theory degree to keep up.

CD format. Standard jewel case with full booklet. 2008 Nuclear Blast pressing.

Fans of: Psycroptic, Obscura, Anata, Decapitated, Necrophagist.