Hailing from Austria, Our Survival Depends On Us are masters of catchy album titles. Their fourth full-length, “Melting The Ice In The Hearts Of Men” is their shortest title so far and my first impression of this band. Initially, I had some trouble getting the album, but as time passed and I gave it several more digital spins, the picture started unfolding and I could understand what is going on here. Our Survival… is not making it easy on the listener with four lengthy compositions and a mix of styles and genres. Post-metal is dominant on “Melting The Ice…”, but there is also a pagan vibe to the music that reminds me of bands like Primordial and Sólstafir.

Kicking off slowly with “Galahad”, Our Survival… is not making the strongest impression with solemn, yet unstable chanting and a slow build-up. “Gold and Silver” is a much stronger effort with harsher vocals and some truly great riffing, turning it into a great post-metal epic. “Song of the Lower Classes” offers more of that class and just when you think they will finish it off with a crushing blow, “Sky Burial” fails to deliver. After an ambient intro of seven minutes, we finally get a nice build-up to something heavier, only to fade away quickly into nothingness. An anti-climax that doesn’t do justice to the band’s talents. So, overall, I’m having mixed feelings about “Melting The Ice…” with two massive epics and two songs that fail to impress. It’s definitely an interesting experience though for those who have an open mind.

(7/10 Lykle Thijssen)

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