the Black Dahlia Murder: "Nightbringers"

This one Myspace Metal band is now more run of the mill death metal. At times and mainly due to the higher pitched snarls they remind me of Cradle of Filth if you squeezed all the black metal out of Dani Filth and friends, which would not be much work. These guys are pros so it sounds good from a production stand point. The drums are pretty crazy, so no one is accusing these guys of not being able to play. Writing songs that are memorable might be asking a little too much at this point. "Of God and Serpent" seems like a place holder for guitar solos with the thought of a break down mixed in their  priorities somewhere. By the time I am at the 3rd song I begin to wonder how much of my life have I wasted listening to bad death metal? Before you piss on your keyboard, and go ahead and do it for all I care, but "bad" here doesn't mean they can't play. Their songs are just heading to a slush pile of riffs in the abyss where everything is a watered down Entombed or At the Gates.

The riff going into the title track is catchier, but it sounds like Dark Tranquility. Dark Tranquility is like frilly shirt cheese injected At the Gates, so we see how we get to this place off watered down galloping metal.The gang vocals help break things up a little and so far this is the album's best song. If I am asking too much for a band to write songs that have their own personality, then there is no hope for music. Once again they rely on the gang vocals to break things up on "Jars", but let's face it song titles at this point are a matter of formality as it all is becoming the same song. Too the bands credit the so called songs are fairly economic in length. There is a punchier attack to "King of the Nightworld". "Catacomb Hecatomb" is a blur of aggressive with the call and response between the low growl and the higher snarl, there is an obligatory breakdown , but nothing being recycled here that is bringing anything new to the death metal table.

I am sure there are going to be 12 year old's clicking around online looking for the tabs for "Good as Dead" so they can make their Youtube videos of them covering it. Aside from that cool opening riff and a few chugs here and there, it's pretty mediocre. The bass has more of a presence going into the last song, but when they blast off it's business as usual. Even the break of clean guitar is too little to late in terms of dynamics as this album feels very monochrome, to the point of being boring. They have cool art work and I am sure it looks good on a shirt that will make you seem edgey to all the kids in your 10th grade English class, other wise this yawn fest gets a 6, which is being really generous based off the fact it's well produced and there is a riff or two here and there that is ok.