Black Breath -
Sentenced to Lifefor those of you who dig thrash
http://open.spotify.com/album/4xOhXPxrcjesTwl6dhLZUbMichael Crumsho at Other Music Wrote:
Produced by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou, the Seattle quintet's sophomore effort aims squarely for a mix thrashing hardcore, crusty punk, and a dash of doom metal that is not a commentary on or exploration of metals' boundaries, but a gleeful melee celebrating the fastest, grimiest, and most furious impulses the genre has to offer. Ultimately sounding like a crew who have little use for records not made by Discharge, Poison Idea, or issued by Earache in the late 1980s, the ten tracks contained herein absolutely pummel over the course of their thirty minutes, proving a more than worthy follow-up to their unexpectedly excellent 2010 debut Heavy Breathing.
Speed proves to be the name of the game at the outset of the record, as Black Breath waste little time pushing their gnarled approach to death metal at a furious, double-kickdrum-enhanced pace across opener "Feast of the Damned" and the immediately following title track. No less menacing, "Home of the Grave" finds the band taking their riffs and shredded vocals through some slower breakdowns, while second-half tracks like "Mother Abyss" and "Of Flesh" up the tempos to almost grind-like territory. In all, while Black Breath's debut could get a little wearisome at times, Sentenced to Life showcases a band that has only managed to get tighter and more efficient at getting their message of maximum carnage across in the shortest time possible. And, it is fully acceptable music for lifting weights, which is one of the highest compliments I can grant a record like this. No joke! [MC]
