Denial of Life "Witness the Power"

 

This Washington-based thrash band does not dye their hard-core roots blood red, but marches this brand of aggression out proudly. The title track that opens the album is largely instrumental, with the vocalist, Brenna Gowin, only shrieking out the title in one exclamation point. It is the second song where the band finds its groove, and she unleashes her lyrics in a very staccato, hardcore fashion. This comes with moshing breakdowns and deliberate riffing, which serves the well. This is executed in a fashion not like what we heard from the crossover bands in the late 80s. 

I like the darker, more melodic touches leading into "Circle the Drain". While I can hear moments where "Wolverine Blues" era Entombed might be made, this is not the primary vehicle of their attack. I do hear some grooving Slayer-inspired riffing, and if we are being honest, Slayer was certainly an inspiration for Entombed as well. Their only weak spot seems to be the fairly limited vocal approach that Gowin employs, so we will have to see if the riffs can compensate for this.It seems to be on "Sword of Fire".She is really the icing on the cake, not a key ingredient, which is not making the argument for girls in metal that some music journalists want to push. 

By the time it reaches "Love Sting," it feels like something needs to change to offer more dynamic colors, and thankfully, the band becomes more melodic. This works even if it is an intro. There is more of a Judas Priest feel to some of the riffs here. Vocally, she returns to doing the same old thing and forces the band to carry the song.She makes no attempt at a more melodic delivery. "Not the One" charges ahead with more punk energy. Overall, they balance out the one-dimensional vocal approach, and make this album fun for what it is, to postion themselves as one of the better new bands doing this sort of thing.Out on Creator Destructor Records.

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