FLUWID - From Surface To Suffocation CD Review

ARTIST: Fluwid
TITLE: From Surface To Suffocation
YEAR: 2010
REVIEWED BY: Caroline Restiaux

Not too shabby for a band hailing out of Dayton, OH heck not too bad for a band from out of anywhere. If you are a fan of Shadows Fall or Killswitch Engage and ever wondered what they would sound like if you threw them in a blender then give Fluwid a listen.

So here I am checking over my emails and I get a reminder (let's just say a little push) to give the cd a listen and write up a review. I am not going to lie with all the great names in metal coming out with releases sometimes you just know what you are going to get when you hear the name so I gravitated a bit toward them first. Am I an ass for doing so, well yes I am because this cd truly was apleasure to listen to. It's aggressive, melodic, easy to sing along to and down right dirtay! So basically if you had to put a picture to the music it would be like a big husky dude walking into a bar meeting an angelic virgin and then beating the shit out of the dirty loser that won't stop hitting on her. It's like a balance of good and evil.

The lyrics are easily relate to and the vocals deliver a believable performance without any doubt. The album builds as it progresses and keeps you going from song to song. They display brutality with power and grace. Whether it be the pummeling drums or the heavy riffs the album has it all. My fave tracks are "Broken Smiles and Black Hearts", "The Phoenix" and "Forever".

Now, as "fluid" as the band is with their music I found that the band name was a bit misleading. I guess sometimes music gets overlooked if you judge the tunes by it's name and cover. Another little downfall is the band will probably get pigeon holed in to a metalcore / nu metal category however those are the bands that seem to be racking in all the goodies as of late.

The passion and commitment with this band is obvious and the production is right up there with other contenders of the modern metal scene. I would be interested in seeing these guys live however you won't catch me near the pit because I am sure they would stir up a huge crowd.

TRACKLISTING:

01. Room 25
02. Forever
03. Broken Smiles And Black Hearts
04. The Phoenix
05. My Only Regret
06. Rose Red Lie
07. Six Demon Bag
08. Mirrors
09. Tears Of Our Past Lives
10. Face Down In A Shallow Grave
11. Our Brother Betrayal