''Dying Vine'' is a 2005 studio album by the band

Aletheian Aletheian are a Christian progressive/melodic death metal band. They formed in Lebanon, Pennsylvania in 1997 under the name Crutch, and then changed their name to "Aletheian" prior to the 2003 album ''Apolutrosis''. Guitarist Alex Kenis joined ...

. The band re-released the album in 2008 under their label, IronClad Records, a branch of

Metal Blade Records Metal Blade Records is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The US office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distrib ...

. In 2015 the band re-released the album a third time for the original ten year anniversary on their

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

page. The first re-release also featured a cover of the song "How Could I" by the band Cynic.McEntire, John (2008) .

HM Magazine ''HM Magazine'' is a monthly, digital and print on demand publication focusing on hard music and alternative culture of interest to Christians. It is headquartered in Houston, Texas. The magazine states that its goal is to "honestly and accurate ...

. Retrieved on May 11, 2016.

Critical reception

Greg Pruto of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

reports "A Christian progressive death metal band? Is there really such a thing? As evidenced by the sophomore release credited to Aletheian, ''Dying Vine'', there sure is. The album was originally issued back in 2005 (after the group had issued several recordings under the

Crutch A crutch is a mobility aid that transfers weight from the legs to the upper body. It is often used by people who cannot use their legs to support their weight, for reasons ranging from short-term injuries to lifelong disabilities. History Crutc ...

moniker), but three years later it was reissued with the same exact track listing, in a remixed and remastered form (and with a new and improved front cover to boot!). From the aforementioned description, ''Dying Vine'' is an onslaught of metallic brutality, as the death metal guttural growls, razor-sharp high-tech riffs, and impeccable double bass drumming are seemingly nonstop. As with most death metal-esque bands, you'd never know what Aletheian have to say lyrically, as it's darn near impossible to decipher any of the prose without the aid of a lyric sheet (which, wisely, is included in the CD booklet). But despite the group's "Christian spin" on the genre, Aletheian sound like your average, ordinary death metal band, as evidenced by such ditties as "Paragon", "Out from the Shadows", and "The Dividing Line"." John McEntire of

writes "Since Alex Kenis joined

Becoming the Archetype Becoming the Archetype is an American Christian metal band formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1999. They have released five albums on Solid State Records. ''Dichotomy'', which was released in November 2008, sold around 2,300 copies in the United St ...

, Aletheian has been quick to quell any rumors about disbanding with performances, including this year’s

Cornerstone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over time ...

, as well as a label deal and re-issue of 2005’s ''Dying Vine'' under

Metal Blade Metal Blade Records is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The US office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distrib ...

’s Ironclad Recordings. Already a great album, Dying Vine sounds even better remixed and remastered by Westside Studios (

Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin language, Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered ...

Killswitch Engage Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbanding of Overcast (band), Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Jesse Leach, guitarists Joe ...

Between the Buried and Me Between the Buried and Me, often abbreviated as BTBAM, is an American progressive metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina. Formed in 2000, the band consists of Tommy Giles Rogers Jr. (lead vocals, keyboards), Paul Waggoner (lead guitar, backing ...

). Also featuring a cover of Cynic’s "How Could I" and completely new artwork, this will appeal to old fans and newcomers alike. Making the most of their new connections, Aletheian is here to stay."

Track listing

# "The Paragon" - (4:37) # "Broken Legacy" - (3:18) # "Out of the Shadows" - (4:04) # "As the Fall Breaks" - (4:47) # "An Open Grave" - (4:08) # "The Shepard's Fold" - (3:10) # "The Dividing Line" - (3:05) # "Call to Arms" - (5:29) # "Burnt Offerings" - (4:20)

Personnel

Aletheian * Joel Thorpe - vocals, layout, design * Alex Kenis - guitars, bass guitar, all production * Joe Walmer - drums Artwork * Mike Dinunzio - artwork

References

{{Authority control 2005 albums Aletheian albums Metal Blade Records albums