DREAD THE FORSAKEN – Unbound

Dread The Forsaken is a new band on the scene based out of Guatemala City, Guatemala. This quartet takes the classic sound of 80’s Thrash / Speed Metal and refreshes it into a cutting edge, and infectious modern style of Metal. Their high energy and motivating approach should be tremendously appealing to any fan of Old School Thrash looking for something new.

Dread The Forsaken was founded by El Salvador born guitarist and songwriter Mauricio Liborio. In 2008, he teamed up with Images of Eden vocalist Gordon Tittsworth and began the foundations for this debut album.

The sound of Unbound is extremely reminiscent of an Anthrax album from the 80’s. From the high-pitched Joey Belladonna type vocals, to the loose-sounding guitar riffs, and the raw vocal harmonies. There is a lot of aggressiveness and power that goes into each track on this album. Tittsworth’s vocals are the key ingredient that culminates in the sound of Dread The Forsaken. For each track he puts forth an incredible effort to push through the passion he is feeling into the music. With Liborio’s fast, yet articulate, thrashing to complement Tittswoth’s vocals, this album really becomes the complete package of a revived and fresh sound.

The only real downside to this album is the album’s length. A total of nine tracks averaging around four minutes each make for an extremely short album by today’s standards. Although each track is very strong, there is some lacking in the overall development of the songwriting, which could stand to benefit from some improvement. That being said, there are a couple of more appealing tracks worth mentioning. The title track “Unbound” is probably the heaviest track on the album. It features a heavy and driving guitar riff, along with a very raw vocal performance in which Tittsworth nearly raps during the verse sections. Another strong track is “Give Me Wounds”, which actually begins with a soft and melodic piano and acoustic guitar intro. This song brings out the full range of Tittsworth’s vocals, and best exemplifies the aforementioned passion he portrays.

Although it is evident Dread The Forsaken has a significant amount of growth ahead of them, for a debut album, Unbound is an admirable beginning. The edgy, raw, and classic sound will leave the listener ready to hear more. With a tighter sound and more developed songs, Dread The Forsaken has the potential to be a heavy contender in the Metal arena.