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October 12, 2008 |
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01. Intro
02. Murder By Means Of Existence
03. Individual Hate Complex
04. Nacroleptic Suicide Attempt
05. Forever Endeavour
06. Emo Assassination
07. Thrash Gordon
08. Erase This Decay (And Disappear)
09. Untitled (Instrumental)
10. Hatred Remains
11. Symptoms Of Perversion
12. Preaching To The Silent
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Yeah, I know it's still early in the year, but I think we might just have our winner for best song titles of the year. With titles like "Forever Endeavour", "Narcoleptic Suicide Attempt", and "Preaching To The Silent", England's BURNING SKIES show a definite knack for creativity. "Murder By Means Of Existence" is full-on brutality! Singer Merv's primal vocals, the thick, chunky guitars of Liam and Ben, Andie's hammering bass, and the intense drumming of Stu are all designed to deliver maximum impact.
The album starts out with "Intro", a 48-second guitar piece designed to get the listener primed for the assault. I've asked this before, and I know I'll ask it again - why do bands do these short pieces and then label them as songs?? Arghh...this drives me crazy! What's the point?
Anyways, enough on that. Let's get on to the good stuff. The title track kicks things off with ferocity, and the album doesn't let up from then on. The double-kick drumming at the beginning of "Murder By Means Of Existence" is impressive, and the time changes in the song show a maturity in the songwriting that is not always found on a debut album. The band think about the dynamics of the song, and that's inspiring. More young bands need to pay attention to song structure the way that BURNING SKIES do.
There is also a nice mix of metalcore, punk, some Dani-esque black metal vocals, and hardcore found within various songs. "Individual Hate Complex" is a good example of effectively mixing punk and hardcore (the results being the power and brutality of hardcore, with that punk attitude). That's a lethal combination that takes the best of both those worlds. "Narcoleptic Suicide Attempt" has some pretty unearthly death vocals bordering on CANNIBAL CORPSE country, while "Forever Endeavour" has singer Merv belting out some impressive Dani Filth type vocals yet again. This is one of the more complex of the lot featuring two time changes even before that banshee scream. The Dani vocals can also be heard on "Thrash Gordon" (another great title) - a short, punk fueled rocker.
The instrumental tune, cleverly titled "Instrumental", doesn't fit on this album. It is a less brutal offering and it breaks away from the audio onslaught, interupting the flow of the album. As it's the only tune like this, it does stand out, but not in a really good way. I wish they would have just stuck to the punishing as it's what they do best. One other downside to "Murder By Means Of Existence" is the length of album. Clocking in at just over 51 minutes, this is a little too much brutality for most, especially the casual hardcore listener. For diehards though, the running time is probably just right. I found myself enjoying the disc, however I did look a couple times to see how much time remained.
BURNING SKIES have released a good album here, and have a mature writing style. They will need to find a way to make sure that people remember them, however, but the fact that this is their first release (the band formed in September 2002), I'd say this is pretty positive. If they can get out on some tours and see how some of the major bands do things, they will no doubt be able to carve their own niche and develop their fanbase. Time will be their ally.
BURNING SKIES are definitely a talented band (Lifeforce Records is developing into a great label with a great roster), and they are very good at playing this type of music. They will pummel, kick, and beat on you relentlessly. If you like your metal brutal, then definitely pick up "Murder By Means Of Existence". You won't be disappointed.
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