Angry Metal Guy<p><strong><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/assemble-the-chariots-unyielding-night-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Assemble the Chariots – Unyielding Night Review</a></strong></p><p><i>By Dear Hollow</i></p><p>Although <em>Unyielding Night </em>is the first full-length of Finland’s <strong>Assemble the Chariots</strong>, they have long felt more veteran than their peers. Releasing a string of EPs that transition from djenty deathcore to an early progenitor of blackened deathcore, <em>Unyielding Night </em>is as epic a debut as they come. Simultaneously conjuring a future of an interdimensional war among the stars with the age-old philosophy of heroism and plight, it is an album devoted to all things bombastic and cinematic. Soaring symphonic soundscapes, blazing riffs, and relentless percussion combine with an original story, it tells the tragedy of the cursed planet Aquilegia against a mysterious solar system-consuming hive-mind entity called the Evermurk – excelling in lore and mythology. <em>Unyielding Night</em> is a blackened deathcore album and a damn good one at that: one whose attack is effective and future is tantalizing.</p><p><em>Unyielding Night</em> is the first installment of the act’s planned <em>Ephemeral Trilogy</em>, and <strong>Assemble the Chariots</strong>’ waste no time abusing breakneck tempos and soaring atmospheres. While the trend too often, in line with <strong>Lorna Shore</strong>’s influence, has been to copy-and-paste symphonic <strong>Dimmu Borgir</strong>-esque keys atop milquetoast deathcore,<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/assemble-the-chariots-unyielding-night-review/#fn-200615-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a> <strong>Assemble the Chariots </strong>walks the way of <strong>Ovid’s Withering </strong>and <strong>Mental Cruelty</strong> in its relentlessness. A penchant for riffs, a blazing intensity reminiscent of <strong>Fleshgod Apocalypse</strong><em>,</em> a futuristic vision akin to <strong>Mechina</strong>, and songwriting that somehow manages to balance all of it are all features of this behemoth. Featuring a boundary-pushing fusion of the traditional and the futuristic, the epic and the dismal – <strong>Assemble the Chariots</strong> offers a journey that balances the visceral and the punishing.</p><p></p><p>While <strong>Assemble the Chariots</strong> does profess deathcore, don’t expect the antics of the low-and-slow brutalizers of decades past. <em>Unyielding Night </em>is absolutely relentless and caustic, tempo abusing and unabated in its bombast; even its more placid spoken word-focused interludes crescendos into insanity are noteworthy. A lethal combination, symphonic overlays contrast mightily with riffs galore, as opener “Departure,” “As Was Seen By Augurers,” and “Empress” move fluidly between cutthroat riffs and shifting moods of hope and devastation, while the darker “Reavers March” and “Equinox” match the more morose and dread-inducing subjects. Power metal’s more decadent theatricality makes appearances in the warbling tenor of “Emancipation” and the <strong>Kamelot</strong>-esque choirs of “Galactic Order” and “Keeper of the Stars” offer a more ghostly appeal. The most blackened moments occur in the tremolo and shrieking of “Empress” and “Galactic Order,” which add a neatly blasphemous and evocative dimension to the album. While inevitably <em>Unyielding Night </em>will conjure similarities to darker deathcore acts like <strong>Lorna Shore</strong> or <strong>Shadow of Intent</strong>, <strong>Assemble the Chariots</strong> simmers and shimmers with energy and fury.</p><p></p><p>Notably, for as high-brow and potentially alienating as this science fiction/fantasy story and its grand length are, <strong>Assemble the Chariots</strong> does an excellent job of balancing atmosphere with accessibility. The neck-snapping grooves of “Admorean Monolith” and “Keeper of the Stars” offer necessary tactical grounding on such a relentless attack in their relatively straightforward riff-centric rhythm-based address, while the chill-inducing shreds of “Evermurk” and “Empress” are easily climaxes of intensity, ensuring that <em>Unyielding Night</em>’s baseline of blazing has breath to grow and crescendo. Smartly composed, the album is structured with the natural dynamics of a plot, reflecting the intriguing lore that undergirds each movement and the moods reflecting the tragedy or hope contained therein. Furthermore, while lyrics growled or shrieked by vocalist Onni Holmström tell the story explicitly, they are partnered with the instrumentals, just as accountable for storytelling.</p><p>Subtlety is not a priority in <em>Unyielding Night</em>, and <strong>Assemble the Chariots </strong>offers an album whose intensity and pomp align impressively with the grandiosity of the tragedy of Aquilegia. As such, it’s long, it’s over-the-top, and it’s constantly intense, and likely too much for some listeners. Those nostalgic for the knuckle-dragging Hot Topic “djunzzz” eras of <strong>Chelsea Grin </strong>or <strong>Suicide Silence </strong>will also be disappointed. However, <em>Unyielding Night </em>is a powerful, energetic bombast that tastefully includes deathcore’s signature brutality without diving headlong into stagnation – nearly the exact opposite. The tragedy of the planet Aqualegia is told in a rich tapestry of color and emotion, and I eagerly await the next installments. <strong>Assemble the Chariots </strong>is something special.</p> <p><strong>Rating</strong>: 4.0/5.0<em><br></em><strong>DR</strong>: N/A | <strong>Format Reviewed</strong>: STREAM<br><strong>Label:</strong> <a href="https://seekandstrike.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Seek &amp; Strike Records</a><br><strong>Websites:</strong> <a href="https://assemblethechariots.bandcamp.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">assemblethechariots.bandcamp.com</a> | <a href="https://www.assemblethechariots.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">assemblethechariots.com</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/assemblethechariots/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">facebook.com/assemblethechariots</a><br><strong>Releases Worldwide:</strong> July 22nd, 2024</p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2024/" target="_blank">#2024</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/40/" target="_blank">#40</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/assemble-the-chariots/" target="_blank">#AssembleTheChariots</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/blackened-death-metal/" target="_blank">#BlackenedDeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/blackened-deathcore/" target="_blank">#BlackenedDeathcore</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/chelsea-grin/" target="_blank">#ChelseaGrin</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/deathcore/" target="_blank">#Deathcore</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/dimmu-borgir/" target="_blank">#DimmuBorgir</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/finnish-metal/" target="_blank">#FinnishMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/fleshgod-apocalypse/" target="_blank">#FleshgodApocalypse</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/jul24/" target="_blank">#Jul24</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/kamelot/" target="_blank">#Kamelot</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/lorna-shore/" target="_blank">#LornaShore</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mechina/" target="_blank">#Mechina</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mental-cruelty/" target="_blank">#MentalCruelty</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/ov-sulfur/" target="_blank">#OvSulfur</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/ovids-withering/" target="_blank">#OvidSWithering</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/seek-and-strike-records/" target="_blank">#SeekAndStrikeRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/shadow-of-intent/" target="_blank">#ShadowOfIntent</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/suicide-silence/" target="_blank">#SuicideSilence</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/symphonic-death-metal/" target="_blank">#SymphonicDeathMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/unyielding-night/" target="_blank">#UnyieldingNight</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/worm-shepherd/" target="_blank">#WormShepherd</a></p>