By now the amount of people who have been a member of Dead To Fall constitutes enough to populate a small town, but such volatility has yet to stop the band. In fact, while their last effort "Villainy & Virtue" saw them refine their sound and sharpen their edges; "The Phoenix Throne" finds them put the grizzly weaponry to use on a much grander scale.

Much less metalcore than before, the band have continually delved into their Swedish influences more and more and this outing is no different. But while it may still be hybrid of both North American and Swedish metal, the group seem to have spent their time on this record taking their brutal riff barrages and churning growls and harnessing them into increasingly epic and grueling arrangements.

Rather than moshfests, there are merciless dirges, often complimented by very Euro-based musicianship and swerving riffs. A taut rhythm section accentuates this with concise double kick and there are even some symphonic styled tendencies explored as well. But as deceivingly orchestral as much of "The Phoenix Throne" may sound, there's still the feeling that the band have yet to realize their full potential.

The songs, while far more mature than the groups previous work, still lack identity and generally blend into one another. In fact, it's usually only the haunting melodic riffs that distinguish them on a track by track basis - sans the Dimmu Borgir-styled album closer which sees a guest appearance from Michael Romeo of Symphony X. In turn, it seems like the band are still sifting through the ashes of their latest transformations, rather than ascending to their inevitable next plateau. But if this line-up sticks, that shot at glory can't be far behind.