Since their formation in 1990, Krisiun have become a death metal institution. Having started out completely on the raw, blackened side of the spectrum, the Brazilian trio has slowly embraced their melodic and catchy sides in evolving their particular brand of death metal. And on their tenth full length Forged in Fury, they further solidify that transition. There’s not much here we haven’t heard before, but overall it’s a reliable listen.

As a whole, Forged in Fury is fine. In a sense, there’s a lot to be said for sticking with a tried-and-true formula; Krisiun are still plenty brutal and haven’t lost any steps. “Scars of Hatred” kicks things off with the band’s signature, galloping blasts and wastes no time at all setting the tone for what’s to come. Alex Camargo’s vocals on this track have an effect reminiscent of the drowning sound from Morbid Angel’s “Where the Slime Live” — it’s a nice little surprise and adds to the track. “Ways of Barbarism” lives up to its title with a classic, primal, Krisiun sound, frenetic drumming from Max Kolesne, and a deep bass solo from Camargo.

Unfortunately, there just isn’t much to get excited about through the middle of the album. “Burning of the Heretic” gets the bravest, with an almost uncharacteristic breakdown of sorts in the middle of the track. The very next track, “The Isolated Truth,” has an extremely catchy march step beat to it, but even with these two tracks the middle of the album can’t help but feel a bit off kilter.

“Timeless Starvation” makes up for the missteps, though, and goes for the throat with the same gusto the band had in their early days. With a furious pacing, Camargo’s abyssal death croaks, and a nice closing guitar solo from Moyses Kolesne, it’s precisely the kind of jolt you need to get things back in gear. But sadly, any goodwill the song builds up evaporates on closer, “Milonga de la Muerte,” a 53-second acoustic passage that doesn’t appear to have much of a point beyond showing us that Kolesne’s also pretty good at acoustic guitar.

All told, Forged in Fury isn’t a bad album though. It may not get as much repeat listening as some of its predecessors, but it shouldn’t have too much trouble slotting in with Krisiun’s discography.

-Josh

Forged in Fury will be available on August 7th on Century Media Records. For more information on Krisiun visit the band’s official website.