Comparing the ARSIS that made 2008's "We Are The Nightmare" to the one that created the brand-new "Starve For The Devil" is like discussing two completely different bands.

For one, it is pretty much a new group with only creator/frontman/guitarist James Malone remaining from the "We Are The Nightmare" lineup. In addition to that, the super-high-tech, mind-blowing noodling that was the dominant character trait on "We Are The Nightmare" is gone, replaced with a refined Thrash-Death template and a little classic Rock 'n' Roll riffing to boot.

Yes, it's a new dawn for ARSIS, or at least one that more resembles their earlier, CARCASS-driven work, and while this may be sad news for, say, the OBSCURA fans reading, it's not like they dumbed down the machine. The finger-tapping, blistering solos? Way, way in tact. Melodic Death that's as intricately woven as it is passionately delivered? You betcha, and in spades.

"Starve" also appears to serve two ends: Allowing Malone to shed some of the demons that have haunted him the past few years, and dialing back other parts of the seriousness with a little tongue-in-cheek chicanery. So lead single "Forced To Rock" and "Half Past Corpse O'Clock" aren't signs that Malone's gone off the deep end and into Glen Benton-meets-Don Dokken stupidity; it's simply his willingness to flash a wry grin amid all the sinew and all-out destruction. It's pretty refreshing.

But Malone's digs serve to lighten an otherwise dark mood of struggles within, most notably his bout with anorexia nervosa that he details fairly intimately on "Beyond Forlorn," where he declares himself the "prince of emaciation" and warns, "You will find me wasting away." There are other signs elsewhere, whether intended or by chance, such as the "season of starvation" looming on Power Metal-infused "The Ten Of Swords" or "Closer To Cold" when he foresees the "rise of emptiness." The theme always seems to loom as a sobering reminder that no one is immune to illness and weakness, but hopefully Malone's biting sense of humor and well-oiled, re-invigorated ARSIS is a sign that more battles have been won than lost, and better days are yet to come.