"Can the sheep be awakened?
I see signs of life flicker and die
Countless as the stars are our choices
The road has forked before us -- now choose
Not this time, a new way must be forged
Forged to or from hell -- We choose"
("Firestorm Redemption")

Like a crude industrial machine, Ares Kingdom grinds through their task wearing a surly mask of age, chuffing rhythms of loosely put death/thrash with a production caked in rust. Although fairly moderate in tempo, these tracks escalate into a lightning haze; war rages between crash cymbals and strings where Keller's melodies emerge victorious from well-spent rubble. This isn't the full scale riot of sound that made a reputation for its members, though it shares familiar traits. So far, more lyrically urgent and taken by a romantic sense of melody ingrained in the songs and especially the heavy metal soloing.

Conflict is furthered by vocalist Alex Blume, who intones failure and termination through a sludgy yet perfectly understood narration. Like some looming figure of Thanatos, Blume's dramatically low voice evokes dread blending easily into the guitar's sustained crunch, uniting technology with the bestial and a hint of the beyond. Hopefully then, this outfit goes on to fulfill the promise of their more calculating savagery.