Rating: 1.0

Country: USA

Release Date: 2006

Record Label: Open Grave Records

Track list:
1. An Illness to Call Your Own
2. Muffled
3. New Hampshire
4. The Thoughtless Existence
5. Calm Seas Dead Breeze
6. The Day the World Fell Down
7. Luxury Suicide
8. Cast Me Out [mp3]
9. Son of Deception
10. Return to Thought and a Thank You Letter

Band Website: End of Destiny

End of Destiny - The Thoughtless Existence

Dan Terry - Vocals
Patrick Daniels - Guitar
Buddy Reno - Bass
Joe Wren - Drums
Mike Yahne - Keyboards

If the truth be told, this album is on the edge of the Diabolical Conquest sphere of concern. Ah, the prospect of pioneering journeys into uncharted space? Alas, no. This tedious and woefully amateur debut deserves to be flicked off into the void quicker than a hornet from your arm. Having taken a deep breath to shelve my cynicism after reading the overtly zealous Christian lyrics (with "Cast Me Out" being a partcularly nauseating example) I discovered that this is the least of End of Destiny's problems.

The commercial approach plods into life with a stock rock/metal riff with some nu-metal crunch, Korn-like bass and drums backing a whining synth and vocal commentary. A bit of mild dissonance ends the suffering. Take note of the energetic intro to "Muffled" as it is easily the best riff on offer here (but that isn't saying much). After this point, if an average album is like a brisk trip in a fast car then this is like a stationary car, ignition on, with the exhaust fumes piped into the driver's mouth.

Does the world really need yet another band that employ aimless strumming, predictable chordplay, droning synths and badly performed clean notes and backing vocals? The synthesiser's prime role appears to be to hide how rough and weedy everything else sounds. And yes, there is merit in a metronomic drum performance but not combined with the cliched "My First Drum Kit" beat patterns laid out here. At least the vocals are just about bearable, hovering somewhere between Gothenberg thrash and hardcore shouts. Also, there is a 25 second chromatic blackened riff in "New Hampshire" that manages to surprise a little (in case you are wondering why End of Destiny have any score at all).

Less than a year elapsed between the band forming and an album being available to purchase. I smell a rat. Or maybe I can just smell sour grapes for all those struggling youngsters out there that could have got a deal instead of this waste of space. Put down your instruments, shut up and join the church choir; your metallic destiny ends here.

May 25th, 2007