Another debuting band in the world of metal music. Persistense, who come from Holland, have released their first full length album 'In Blood and Heart'. The band's name is spelled the right way, because it comes from two words: Persist and intense. Blood, heart and intense... Against all the suppositions, Persistense do not play metalcore.

Starting with a melancholic intro, that grows into a march, could indicate anything. 'Further' kind of surprises; it is a hybrid of death and thrash metal, that could be from the beginning of 1990s. Heck, it definitely owes quite a lot to earlier Thanatos. And the vocals heavily remind of Asphyx/Hail Of Bullets man Martin Van Drunen. 'Further' is a multiparted yet dynamic composition. Interesting twist after the detached intro... 'The Reality' hits more thrashing gear, and also features Gothenburg style melodic guitar work. Again, the song's dynamics work, because slow parts fit in well. 'Infinite Madness' gets thumbs up for that reason, too, and good, driving rhythm changes, but its Gothenburg melodies are totally stale. Thankfully that part is heard only twice. 'Overcome' with its slow-to-blast-beating fluctutation cannot be saved from being patchy, but it does feature some cool old school melodies and riffing. Generally, there is a clear groove factor in some parts throughout the album. Seems like the album is losing its drive. 'Doomsday' presents non-distorted intro, that tries too hard to be like 'Welcome Home (Sanitarium)'. The band have run out of tricks and the vocals are totally one-dimensional throughout the album. After a good start, the album starts to drag, and pretty badly too. 'Sick World's faster thrashing comes too late...

The production work smells of old, partly in a good way, but the guitar tone could be so much more ripping, and generally the sound could be punchier. The bass drum sounds so flat it makes me angry! By the way, the synth is only heard on the 'Intro'. The performances are okay, but still one waits much more from guitar solos and those calmer, more "beautiful" parts.

Persistense have potential. However, 'In Blood and Heart' feels halfhearted as a whole. More eventful songs wouldn't hurt either. What I like about this is its feeling of the yore and Central European style (minus the Gothenburg stuff, of course), like mentioned before. Just keep it going and we'll hear next time how it comes out.

Rating: 6- (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
11/04/2009 16:36