The Drowned God : " Moonbearer"

This takes me back to the early 2000's and the days of Myspace, this would have been considered hard core back then, but now the lines are kinda blurred. There is a darker current to their anger and in some ways the more metallic guitar tones remind me of the new Code Orange album. We can hear the kind of emoting from the guitar that we heard back in 1999, though the vocals are more along the lines of what we expect from scream these days. "I'll Catch the Back of Her Head" is punchier as the syncopation is where the intensity is built as the take a more melodic middle of the road path to vent their screaming. The bass player steps in to fill the gaps when things get more atmospheric for "Tomorrow Your chest Cavity Will be Alone". The vocals are actually sung, which helps bring a much needed change of pace.

 The old screamed hard core tricks do not really breathe any new life into the orbit of a song like " Darkness Comes Early Down Here". The song twists and turns , but lack something that really hooks you in.Some of the guitar trickery is impressive when you listen to it but there lies half the problem for me is wasting a tone of time listening for it, but I already invest so much of my time hunting down music that moves me that I don't have time for something that is redundant. The more motive sung vocals return for " Nighttime Lips" it almost feels more like an interlude than them committing to an entire song, but they do pull it together and deliver. "Sundowning " tries to marry more commercial hooks in with the sound of black metal influenced hard core.They do throw a moody break down into the middle of the song.

Aside from the more Minus the Bear like break in the last song "Moon" they don't do a helluva a lot to really keep your teeth latched onto this song. The drummer obviously has some chops and these guys never have their musicianship brought into question. I am unsure as to why this song is over 13 minutes long as I begin to wonder what else they can do this. The answer is to jam out what you have already heard from them. By the nine and a half minute mark it is beginning to become  test of endurance. While this song does get tedious , over all the alum is pretty well done, I will give it an 8, though I am not sure this is something that I will listen to enough to warrant it making the trip to my iPod. If you like screamo these guys are worth your time.