Iron Front : "Hooked"

The first track of this Oakland-based band's sophomore album opens things up in a manner that really gets my hopes up. It blends the groove of hardcore with the grime and gruesome narrative of Death Metal perfectly. They raise the bar pretty high for themselves. Last year bands like 200 Stab Wounds and Sanguisugabogg. However, those bands used a similar guttural approach that rode the riffs in a manner that compensated for the gurgled grunts' lack of range or dynamics. "Slug Rounds" does groove, but it does not feel like the arrangement gives things the same sense of space, making the song feel more generic and a mush of chugging riffs that this subgenre is known for.  It is not until the slowed breakdown riff that it gets, interesting. 

Then the question becomes what are these guys doing that I have not already heard before. The answer is not much., "Burned By a Crack Pipe " is not only a great song title but it is more interesting than the previous song. By the time we get to "Pig Splitter" things have devolved into sounding like everyone else. The vocals are a one-trick pony which plays against them the most as the riffs are not carrying all the weight as well as the bands I mentioned earlier. The title track just chugs by without really catching my attention. I like the riff to "Intestinal Siphon" but the drumming is kind of boring. 

The last song "Slam of 87" finds the band sticking to the formula that has been in place for the bulk of the album.  I understand that this genre is not the best when it comes to the use of dynamics that create a broader sonic spectrum and it does one thing. That one thing has its place but also requires greater attention to detail to create a worthwhile album. These guys are effective at what they do and for fans of what that is . This is something I like when done on a higher level of songwriting and just something that invokes a feeling I have an appreciation for when not. They prove themselves capable of doing both so I will give this album an 8. If you are just a fan of this slam style, then it takes less to make you happy and this is more worth your time.Coming out on Creator-Destructor Records.  

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