The 2018 Arsies: January 29, 2018

January 29, 2018

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

Like me, Heal is sumptuous and mature, and easy to get behind. It's just not nearly metal enough to withstand the unconventional onslaught that is Awaken. But more than that, Fleshkiller's crisp and exotic sound bests Riviẽre's efforts in virtually every category, save emotionality; I can't help but think that the overpolish on Awaken cost it a point here, but that hardly makes a difference in the final tabulation. Oh well; at least now I can stop looking up and typing that weird Unicodẽ character. (But I'm definitely staying hopeful for a followup album from Riviẽre.)
Tomorrow, we decide who will challenge Fleshkiller next week, either Dyscarnate or Mutoid Man. It's gonna be fierce!