Live Burial has been around for a couple of
years, and recently put out a self-titled EP. It should be evident immediately that
this group plays death metal, and from the second the first note hits, you’ll
know that it is right in line with the more disgusting side of metal. Autopsy
appears to be the main influence on this EP, though there are certainly others
as well. Live Burial has an incredible ability to combine sludgy, slow riffs
with brutally quick headbanging moments. During some of the faster moments
(particularly on “Cast Back Into The Fire”) it is difficult to discern if the
drummer is doing a standard thrash beat, or a more black metal styled blast
beat (where the kick and the snare alternate instead of lining up). The difficulty lies in the fact that things are just so fast it manages
to sound like both. In any case, it’s brutal enough to cause some serious neck
damage, and that’s always a good thing. By contrast the slower sections are
straight from the book of Chris Reifert. At times they are harmonized, while at
others they are more simplistic. In either case, they’re always effective, and
they allow the bass playing to rise to the front of the mix. Of course, the
main focus on this record will be the guitars, and that’s because they’re the
definition of buzzsaw. The guitar tone is incredibly sharp and able to cut
through pretty much anything. Solos are in high supply, and are a bit less
chaotic and more virtuosic than you might expect based on the rest of the
music.
One thing Live Burial does quite a bit
different from other bands comes from the vocals. Growler Jamie Brown has a
really twisted voice. While some may think of the aforementioned Reifert, I
found his vocals closer to Oscar Dronjak’s (Ceremonial Oath/Crystal Age). There’s
a complete disregard for any sort of standard singing or technique, and
instead, the most messed up sounds possible emanate from this man’s throat. He doesn’t
really have a guttural approach, and instead goes for higher notes.
The only thing I find holds back Live
Burial at times is the songwriting. This is definitely an EP that you need to
hear front to back to appreciate best. A lot of death metal bands aren’t big on
making individual songs catchy, and this EP definitely does not do that. There
are things you’ll recall from a track as you listen to it a second or third
time (and beyond), but there isn’t really anything to growl along to, nor much
you can remember after finishing listening. Of course, this is something that
plagues much of death metal as a whole, so it really doesn’t set Live Burial
too far back.
Highlights
All of it
Final Rating
3.9/5 or 78%.
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