Album Review: Affiance - No Secret Revealed

Being a fan of metal that is melodic, I was somewhat apprehensive to review a band like Affiance; I assumed they would be just another super hard, somewhat uninteresting scream fest. What I found, however, is a band that is engaging, melodic, and hard. These things add up to a solid full length, ‘No Secret Revealed’.

‘No Secret Revealed’ is an interesting ride throughout, opening with a spoken introduction “Mad As Hell” and then moving straight into “Call To The Warrior”. “Warrior” is a great track that sets the tone for the rest of the album. The instrumentation in “Warrior” is solid, and the soaring vocals from Dennis Tvrdik wrap this into a great track. “Nostra Culpa” is another solid cut, with perfect give and take from the screamed/clean vocal departments. There’s also wicked guitar parts littered throughout. “Dissent!” is also worth giving a mention, with a guest spot from The Devil Wears Prada’s James Baney.

The album isn’t without a few faults, though. After listening to the entire album a few times, the tracks began to run together into one big song. Having a little bit of variety in the record would have been a good thing. The record also left me with a feeling that I’d heard this band before, but the sum of all the parts do make for an interesting record.

So what makes ‘No Secret Revealed’ a record to check out? Fans should check it out because it’s packed with great guitar lines, awesome vocals, and good lyrics. Affiance is the metal band that I’ve always wanted to hear: Some sort of happy medium between Killswitch Engage, Dragonforce, and the dozens of screamo bands out there. If you’re still looking for a gift for that metal fan in your life, this record could be it.

3/5

‘No Secret Revealed’ by Affiance is available now through Bullet Tooth Records.

Affiance on MySpace, Twitter and Facebook.

Landon Peterson