Pennsylvania-based independent label Willowtip Records was established by Jason Tipton in the late ’90s. From humble beginnings, the label has stood the test of time, becoming one of the most respected and highly regarded record labels in the extreme metal scene. It takes something special to create a label with a consistently unfuckwithable roster of quality, innovative artists while retaining long-term integrity and durability. Willowtip is the self-proclaimed forward-thinking label, releasing a slew of modern classics and top-shelf albums that may have a lower profile but are more than worth your while.
This feature focuses on a pivotal early period in the label’s history that had a huge impact on my own extreme metal tastes. As such, I am highlighting some outstanding albums released by Willowtip between 2001-2006. Some are lesser-known; however, I will argue are must-listen releases from the label’s early golden era. I will skip over a couple of particularly pivotal albums from the period more suited for Yer Metal Is Olde honors; otherwise, it’s open slather. Welcome to the Willowtip Files.
A Celebration of Guilt was the shot in the arm the fledgling melodeath scene needed. Over twenty years since American melo-tech masters Arsis unleashed their superb debut, it remains a watershed album and modern classic. Unfortunately, we missed the opportunity for a Yer Metal Is Olde entry, so you’ll need to hang tight until 2029 for that glorious moment. The unfortunate flipside to a debut which garnered critical acclaim, forming a potent antidote to the overt commercialism flooding the melodeath scene at the time, is the expectation that inevitably follows. Following up the debut with the exceptional A Diamond for Disease EP kept the creative fires burning, before the always tricky sophomore album United in Regret dropped in 2006. Wedged between their debut and the exhilarating technical firestorm of We Are the Nightmare, United in Regret kept a lower profile. Even the polarizing Starve for the Devil garnered more attention through its mix of commercial appeal and purist controversy. Initially underwhelmed on release, the years have been kind to the dark horse of the Arsis canon.
Stripping their sound back to its raw essentials, United in Regret maintained the gritty melodeath edge of its predecessor, steering their sound down darker, thrashier, dissonant pathways and bringing a bleakly acidic edge to challenging material. Lacking immediately obvious hooks and featuring a cleaner, rugged underground production, the album’s experimental approach and meaner, uglier aesthetics unveiled a unique secondary spin on their vibrant technical melodeath formula. Dense, double-tracked harmonies and busy arrangements remain; however, the wall-of-sound approach and memorable songwriting style of the debut is replaced by more challenging, less accessible material. Best absorbed as a front-to-back experience to appreciate its knotty arrangements, subtle hooks, and controlled chaos, United in Regret also possessed power-packed individual nuggets. “Oh, the Humanity” kicks the album off in fine fashion, raging from thrashing intensity to gorgeous soloing, into a seething, melancholic climax. From stormy melodies and fleet-fingered shred (“United in Regret”), to brutally infectious technical melodeath (“Lust Before the maggots Conquest”), Death-esque progressive tech (“The Cold Resistance’) through to the frantic thrash pulse of closer ‘Hopeless Truth,” there is much to enjoy and unpack.
Technically, United in Regret is another ripping showcase of James Malone and cohorts’ supreme abilities, mixing harsh dissonance and serpentine melodies through a thrashy tech death filter. Less accessible than much of Arsis’ other material, United in Regret reveals its true powers through multiple detailed listens to unlock its intricate subtleties and knotty disposition. Aside from the Gothenburg influence and more extreme underground aesthetics, Arsis leveraged some later-era Death into the album’s dense compositional framework, lending a sharp, technical and proggy edge to the material. The techy edge is prominently on display; Malone’s ripping riffs, virtuosic fretwork and spine-tingling solos form pillars of immense strength. Malone’s vocals sound especially potent, while drummer Michael Van Dyne’s final album appearance is a mighty fine performance of technicality, finesse and groove.
Initially written off by many as a sophomore slump, time and reflection have served United in Regret well. Though failing to match the lofty heights and lightning-in-a-bottle synergy of A Celebration in Guilt, United in Regret stands apart as a unique, raw and impactful entry in the Arsis repertoire. Malone demonstrated a brave willingness to push the Arsis sound in different, harsher, and bleaker realms without simply rehashing past glories. Without quite recapturing the songwriting magic and timeless melodic resonance of the debut, Arsis proved on United in Regret they were no flash in the pan, one-trick pony. If you have written this one off before, perhaps it’s time to revisit the understated quality and harsh realms of this inspired sophomore platter.
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