Pathfinders
Ares Vallis

This French band might be interested in the exploration of Space, they have taken their band name from the Mars Pathfinder and named their debut album from the spot where the Pathfinder landed in 1997. And is there some Ayreon influence with a house on Mars? Cool cover art is it anyway, but I probably would have built my house on Mars on higher ground, at least if I was planning to live on a terraformed Mars.

Groove metal with progressive stylings, comparable to the likes of Lamb of God or Periphery. Aggressive, powerful, with clean vocals, growly and hardcorish vocals, groovy, and dramatic. A pretty varied album with decent depth and strong production, but there are not many surprises here on this album – especially unsurprising for those who know the genre. The production is good and I like the energy and temperament of the vocalist, though none of those aren’t standing out compared with the stronger names of the genre. And despite the variation it is a long album at 55 minutes, a bit too long.

There are plenty of things to like about this album, it has good songs, power, aggression and plenty of energy. A strong debut and album. Perhaps not overly exciting and I miss that little extra that makes a good album great, like that magic hit song or something like that. It would have been cool if the album would have been of the same dignity as the Pathfinder mission, but unfortunately it isn’t. It is good nonetheless, and it has some excellent element.

Ares Vallis is a strong debut album, it may not be great but it would not be an exaggeration to claim that this is a debut that promises a lot. But they should have shortened it and made it a bit more exciting, but that might be something for their next release that might be called Olympus Mons.

HHHHHHH