Review by JD on June 24, 2009.

Coming across as this really interesting musical bridge between Hard Rock, Classic Rock, some Progressive elements that all are beefed up with straight ahead party time metal... Toronto, Canada’s Ape stands as this rather set aside oddity on the music landscape. This quirky yet talented band seems to really set themselves up in the roll of different.

Seriously they come across as this odd cross-bred sort of animal that has parts of System Of A Down, April Wine and Nickleback sandwiched with metallized versions of The Tragically Hip and the classic Rush thrown in there for good measures. They take it all of their influences, put it in a blender and what comes out is originality with listenability.

One listen to the brilliantly penned ‘Messin’ Around With Love’ seems like it could possibly be a radio hit on any modern rock station anywhere while ‘Beyond The Depths Of Reality’ is a melodic metallic styled romp that is so hard to ignore because the melody sticks in your head and refuses to leave. With so many musical weapons in their arsenal... it is hard to dismiss this remarkable band.

Some rather bad production decisions in some places takes away a little from the bands performance, but the album is one that I found to be interesting every time I played it. Ape seems to be shooting on all cylinders as they make their own way through the mass changes of musical ideas. They are clearly some of the strongest musicians and are also as equally strong as songwriters as well. It just seems to pay off to being different... in the rock scene in Canada, they are..

Ape’s "Survival Of The Fittest" album seems to grow on you like a fine wine or a really well brewed beer. I have to say that I do want them to explore a little bit more on their heavier (metal) side of the band. A tad bit more than what they do... but as it stands now I won’t complain very much with what this is either. It is good... but it could be a touch better.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8.5
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 7
Originality: 8.5
Overall: 8

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by JD on June 24, 2009.

Coming across as this really interesting musical bridge between Hard Rock, Classic Rock, some Progressive elements that all are beefed up with straight ahead party time metal... Toronto, Canada’s Ape stands as this rather set aside oddity on the music landscape. This quirky yet talented band seems to really set themselves up in the roll of different.

Seriously they come across as this odd cross-bred sort of animal that has parts of System Of A Down, April Wine and Nickleback sandwiched with metallized versions of The Tragically Hip and the classic Rush thrown in there for good measures. They take it all of their influences, put it in a blender and what comes out is originality with listenability.

One listen to the brilliantly penned ‘Messin’ Around With Love’ seems like it could possibly be a radio hit on any modern rock station anywhere while ‘Beyond The Depths Of Reality’ is a melodic metallic styled romp that is so hard to ignore because the melody sticks in your head and refuses to leave. With so many musical weapons in their arsenal... it is hard to dismiss this remarkable band.

Some rather bad production decisions in some places takes away a little from the bands performance, but the album is one that I found to be interesting every time I played it. Ape seems to be shooting on all cylinders as they make their own way through the mass changes of musical ideas. They are clearly some of the strongest musicians and are also as equally strong as songwriters as well. It just seems to pay off to being different... in the rock scene in Canada, they are..

Ape’s "Survival Of The Fittest" album seems to grow on you like a fine wine or a really well brewed beer. I have to say that I do want them to explore a little bit more on their heavier (metal) side of the band. A tad bit more than what they do... but as it stands now I won’t complain very much with what this is either. It is good... but it could be a touch better.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8.5
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 7
Originality: 8.5
Overall: 8

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Death8699 on July 20, 2019.

This album is atypical for me not because it's melodic death, but it's because it's a mix of melodic death and metalcore. That shouldn't be any reason not to like about this album, it's because it's just different to me. The music is a mixture of riff-laden rhythms which is cool because it's a really original sounding release. Them mixing melodic death with metalcore makes the album unique. The fact that this is a combination of the two genres of metal makes it not knowing what to expect in the musical category. I liked this from start to finish, though I think that they could've done a little better on the leads. Other than that criticism, the music makes up for it.

Hearing this first digitally made me like it because it dives through all different kinds of guitars, vocals and the production is of sound quality. There seems to be a lot of heart to this. The sounds of the guitars are unique and mostly distorted tone. But there are clean guitars on here, too. They seem to like to change up the tempos here. Mostly it's distorted guitar riffs and nothing that over exceedingly heavy. This band has a lot of offer the metal community. They're like I said, atypical but still doggone intriguing to listen to. I like the distorted guitar rhythms and they shift from that to clean, hence the metalcore vibe. I'm not a huge fan of metalcore, but some of it on here is all right.

These guys need to be heard by the masses of metal fans. Their music is quite interesting. A lot of down picked guitar along with tremolo picking overtures as they swing from tempo to tempo. It's quite interesting that they're able to do this. The vocals are pretty cool, not really a deep throat sound but hoarse with some clean tone in there. I would give the album a higher rating if the music would've stayed consistently intense. The whole album is odd. The melodies are quite swift, and the vocals go well along with the guitars. Definitely unique sounds altogether.

If you haven't heard this band, do yourself a favor and hear them. You'll probably come to the same conclusion as I, weird but unique.  If you're a guitar player, maybe you'd understand some of my jargon about the guitars. Check them out and if you like what you hear, support the band and order the CD. It's worth it. I know some tracks taper off sounding out of place, but overall this album is a "B" to me. I liked it enough and gave it a fair shake. Check them out, they're really strange but different and I mean that in a good way.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Adam M on July 19, 2015.

This is a very solid promo in the vein of Falloch. There is a large post-metal aesthetic to Sisters Of..., though it is covered up by huge metallic riffs. This makes for an album that puts poignant emotion ahead of the rest of its elements. The instrumentation takes centre focus and makes up for the lack of vocals present. Through soundscapes, the band is able to craft their vision.

This is one of the most atmospheric entirely instrumental albums I’ve heard in some time. When there are vocals, they are subtle, in the background and complement the remainder of the music efficiently. The music on this release is all about dramatic atmosphere and not overly focused on the singing. Right from the track, The Adversary, one can sense the dense mood that this band surrounds itself within. This particular song recalls some of the more instrumental work of Tool (particularly in the bass work) and stands as a strong springboard for much of the other material on this album. The next song continues on a similar tangent before the album diverges into a number of areas that showcase great use of stylistic elements.

One of the great things about the material here is that it’s constantly changing and seeking new avenues of emotion. Also, there is a build up towards the later portions of the album meaning that a climax is definitely reached. There is a flaw in that the album is somewhat short and some of the items could have been developed even further. Luckily, the last song on The Serpent, The Angel and The Adversary is the superior Leva In Mare. This track is arguably the finest one to be found here and closes things on a high note. Overall, the release is a quality entry into the atmospheric metal genre.

Rating: 8 out of 10