Hell in Reverse 2011

"Whilst the metal purists cower in their dark corners and mumble incomprehensibly about reliance on breakdowns and false metal, closing their eyes and covering their ears so they can remain oblivious to the fact that metal music is dynamic and constantly changing, open-minded metal fans who do not suffer from metalcorophobia will be reminded by Last View that metalcore can kick ass and be as true metal as any other metal subgenre.

True to metalcore tradition, there are plenty of breakdowns on this release (some tracks even start with a breakdown), and - well, I like breakdowns if they are executed well, and Last View's breakdowns on this release are solid, they are heavy, and they are groovy, and there are neither too many nor to few of them. In some of the breakdowns, Last View even experiment with syncopations and stereo effects, which sounds pretty cool. Another typical metalcore element is the use of two vocalists, and I must admit that I do not really understand why they have two vocalists, because they sound very similar, as both make use of angry metalcore shouting accompanied by the occasional scream and growl.

So, yes, this is metalcore, but Last View also draw extensively on melodeath and appear to be especially inspired by At the Gates and Dark Tranquility, which means that there are both upbeat melodic riffs and overlapping harmony-based one-string tremolo riffs galore, which works extremely well on this release, accompanied by blastbeats and thrashy drumming.

Overall, this is a strong metalcore release, which will appeal not only to fans of melodic metalcore but also of melodeath and perhaps even thrash metal.

(review originally posted on metalmusicarchives.com)"