Tuesday, March 13, 2018

LLNN :"Deads"






It's rare that I download an album from a band I never have heard before. I typically stream it. I sort through so much music and know such a small percentage will be music that I need to own that I listen to an album a few times, review it then move on. So it says a lot when a really heavy band like this grabs my attention. Hard core might be at the beating heart of this monster. I think what I like about this the most is the sonic intensity. They are brutally aggressive, but don't stop there possessing a wider scope of dynamics, after a minute of ambiance on "Parallels" they come back and hammer you before ebbing back down a few degrees to give you room to breathe.

"Armada" has a powerful chug set against the sonic sprawl that hangs over it like a storm cloud. The vocals are delivered in angry screams. I can hear them becoming the one element that might grate against me in time. I am surprised that a band so intent on this kind of raw heaviness keeps my attention .  It's not that I do not like heavy music, as it's obvious I do or you wouldn't be reading this. It just that the bulk of band can see past the gain. There are some interludes of atmosphere. The first song where these two side are really combined is on "Appeaser". The thick bass line drives most of the song.  They get more in your face on "Deplete". The more hardcore centered vibe really comes on strong here.

The title track that closes this album has the most metal riff, if we are talking about metal in the conventional sense, though is bass driven almost like Godflesh. The raw power of what they do begins to get a little dulled when they swell into their heavier side, because at this point I am now used to it. So it behooving of them to pull out these other tricks. Tricks like the sonic buzz that it builds into which holds an almost black metal feel. Not unlike bands such as Nails or Hexis, where many different sub-genres collide This band is powered by a dark metallic hard-core draped in cinematic ambiance.  I'll round this one up to a 10. 


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