Putting a sticker on the front of your album that proclaims "the new breed of metalcore is here" is a lot like walking through a minefield blindfolded - you're already limiting your chances in a dangerous situation. With their Trustkill debut, Buffalo, NY's It Dies Today have found themselves in just such a precarious position, and yet through confident footing and a refined take on some of the genre's better moments, they manage to make it through without losing an extremity. The listener on the other hand is a different story altogether.

There are two things that make It Dies Today's latest a fairly enjoyable listen, one the sustained level of bruising aggression, and two the integration of melody that doesn't sound entirely feminine. Of course you'll still find traces of European-influenced staccato shredding in their guitar work, throaty barks and other trademark elements of the genre that have been driven into the ground. But on tracks like "Severed Ties Yield Severed Heads", the band bust out with disjointed melodies that almost bring to mind shades of Helmet's Page Hamilton, and it's moments like these that become their real strength.

Unfortunately, the band do fall victim to a number of the genre's same old hang-up's. Repetition, similar sounding songs (though in the bands favor they aren't entirely predictable in the placement of their melodies), and a sound that is by no means revolutionary. There's even the cringe-worthy first single "A Threnody For Modern Romance" which sounds like a b-side from Atreyu's latest, complete with stomping 80's sing-along chorus. Still, all in all, as far as modern metalcore goes this album is a surprisingly satisfying listen. It may not exactly be the 'new breed' it was touted as, but it is by all means an above average hybrid.