Sothis

De Oppresso Liber
Candlelight Records

Ok, folks just to be crystal clear on this release; Sothis = Dimmu Borgir clone. A great clone no doubt, but a clone nonetheless. Also, you would never guess in a million years these guys are from Los Angeles! They sound (and look) like they stepped right off the boat from Norway or Sweden. I hate to be negative right from the start, but it's just sooooo obvious who they idolize. I understand bands have to have influences, but from the very first track I would have sworn I was listening to Dimmu. Now, on the positive side, the musician ship is fantastic. Blastbeats reign, guitars swarm like angry hornets screaming death from above, the bass thundering behind, and the vocals sound like...well, you know who I am talking about. As I said before, bands have to draw their inspiration from somewhere, but I think Sothis should focus on acheiving their own sound rather than copying their idols so blatantly. However, if you have never heard Dimmu Borgir before, check it out!

- Craig Harvey