Style: Melodic death metal, progressive death metal (mixed vocals, mostly harsh)
Recommended for fans of: Allegaeon, Entheos, At the Gates, In Flames
Country: Massachusetts, United States
Release date: 21 March 2025
Standing out in the crowded sea of melodic death metal bands isn’t easy. Now and then, a relative newcomer emerges with something fresh, whether it’s Eternal Storm with their epic A Giant Bound to Fall or Countless Skies’ engaging Glow—but making waves is the exception, not the rule. The genre has become especially saturated in the United States, full of new releases of passable quality and with precious few gems.
With their sophomore LP Erasure of Color, Boston-based Aversed look to buck this trend, offering up a wicked slab of melodeath after several years of songwriting and a change in vocalist. Fronted by the versatile Sarah Hartman, and backed by serious instrumental talent, the band unleash a work that, while not a concept album, is connected by a gloomy soundscape and lyrical themes of heartbreak—whether platonic, romantic, or more existential. In short, Aversed put a lot of ambition behind Erasure of Color, and it’s apparent from the first few minutes. But does this album provide something that separates it from the endless tide of middling melodeath releases?
Erasure of Color is Gothenburg-tinged melodeath at its core, but it borrows elements from plenty of other death metal styles. Opener “To Cover Up The Sky” comes in with techy riffing and frenetic drumming, reminiscent of Obscura, and “Lucid Decapitation” sprinkles in dissonance throughout, sounding not unlike Ulcerate-lite at times. Both tracks stand out precisely because of these infusions—the stylistic inspirations are woven into Aversed’s brand of heavy, groove-laden melodic death metal without sounding contrived. “Solitary,” perhaps Erasure’s most ambitious track, displays the band’s progressive tendencies, fitting a big, winding composition into a mere five and a half minutes. And, though not always fluidly, the title track hits you with dissonance, an orchestral bridge, blackened riffing, and a gothic atmosphere, particularly in its chorus. It seems Aversed want to make sure you’re anything but bored, dynamically shifting which style lies atop the underlying melodic death metal.
To varying degrees of success, Erasure of Color also offers tracks more typical of its genre. The appropriately titled “Burn” is, indeed, a fiery one, bringing plenty of energy along with immense bass grooves and an infectious chorus. “Cross to Bear,” on the other hand, sounds quite generic and places a big emphasis on its chorus at the expense of its other parts—the transition to the blast beats backing the chorus could be smoother, and the rest more memorable. And unfortunately, the album’s closer “Departures” wades into formulaic metalcore territory and spends too long across that border. Erasure of Color is mostly a success, but it suffers from imbalances in quality across its tracks, and the numerous ideas within each track aren’t always arranged cohesively.
Whatever the track, though, Hartman’s vocals fill it charismatically. She has three main deliveries in her quiver: low growls, higher-pitched screams, and lovely cleans. Although the growls and screams aren’t especially noteworthy, Hartman’s full performance is greater than the sum of its parts—the way she cycles between deliveries and uses them to paint the music with different shades is central to the album’s sonic identity. The chorus of “Solitary,” in addition to having some of the slickest guitar work on the album, best exemplifies this, as she fits in each of the three deliveries with impeccable timing and full emotional force. But Aversed aren’t just a platform for Hartman: sitting on the techier side of melodeath, the rest of the band turns in a tight performance, full of dexterous chops and plenty of instrumental flair.
Erasure of Color is an undeniably impressive listen despite some compositional shortcomings. Although Aversed have room to develop and tighten up their songwriting, they’ve avoided music’s biggest sin, and one that’s all too common in their genre—being boring. The band might not reinvent the wheel, yet they don’t sound derivative, and Erasure of Color maintains a dynamic energy while providing enough style and complexity to reward repeated listens. Time will tell whether the album makes more than ephemeral ripples in the genre’s vast sea, but Aversed certainly have the creativity and talent to go on to make waves.
Recommended tracks: To Cover Up The Sky, Lucid Decapitation, Solitary, Burn
You may also like: Vintersea, Dawn of Ouroboros, Eternal Storm, Greylotus
Final verdict: 6.5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Label: M-Theory Audio – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website
Aversed is:
– Martin Epstein (bass)
– Sungwoo Jeong (guitars, vocals)
– Alden Marchand (guitars)
– Jeff Saltzman (drums)
– Sarah Hartman (vocals)
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