The 2017 Arsies: January 24, 2017

January 24, 2017

Emotion	●●○	●●○
Memorability	●●●	●●○
Replayability	●●●	●●●
Innovation	●●●	●●○
Pace	●●●	●●○
Shredding	●●●	●●●
Vocals	●●○	●●○
Production	●●●	●●●
	✓

We've just past the halfway mark for the entire tournament, and today we start the Rounds Of 16. Testament's cointoss means they get us off to a thrashy start. And, the more times I hear Brotherhood Of The Snake, the more I can appreciate how it pulls the best parts of their last half dozen albums. There's not much innovation here, but so what? This rocks! Also, the first half of the album? Solid gold. But the back half is hokey and distracting, and undoes a lot of the good that the first half delivers.
Phenotype doesn't suffer from that same weakness. It's consistently surprising, varied, and fucking heavy. It also strives for, and achieves, a wider emotional palette. Unrelenting from start to finish, Textures outgun and outexecute Testament, and proceed to the Quarterfinals!
Tomorrow, Entheos and Anciients grapple each other on the path to metal supremacy.