Year of the Knife : "No Love Lost"

Year of the Knife has raised the bar pretty high for themselves with an opening song ripping it as hard as "Sometimes" does. It proves that Madison Watkins can cut it as their vocalist. She has an abrasive scream that gets the proper emotion across.  The second song features a guest vocal by Devin Swank of  Sanguisugabugg. They are not as death metal as Devin's band but prove that Metal Core does not have to conjure images of the last days when Myspace ruled the Earth. "Mourning the Living" does this louder for the people in the back of the memo on the first two songs in regards to this. 

This however does not mean that all songs are equally inspired.  "Alice" does not raise the question I have to most bands who hit you with this kind of heavy, regarding their ability as songwriters once your ears stop ringing enough for you to pay attention. It is more of a matter regarding the level of intensity that never seems to ebb.  What happened at this point during my first pass through the album, is my ears began to be numbed out by the feral gnashing of teeth that were coming at  them. The brief spastic burst of grindcore that crams Full of Hell's Dylan Walker into, conveys the kind of temper tantrum that style of music is known for. I am more impressed by the hammering groove that "Your Control" unleashes, as it gives you more to bang your head to.

Kurt Ballou has really dialed their guitar sound in. It gives the riffs to "Heaven Denied" a sharper edge. Though Madison's vocals are beginning to feel a little uniform in the single-minded nature they paint the songs in the coat of rageful red. Yet they do not relent in the sonic beatings they lash out with. They go into the last song with a more deliberate menace which speeds up in time for the vocal. The gang vocals injected into the song give more of a hardcore feel. This is also a moment where it feels like the drummer's moment to shine. I will give this album a 9 and see how it grows on me, despite being possessed by hate that is singular in focus, the energy and execution pull it through.