Fuming Mouth : "the Ringing Bell"

These guys are back with their brand of crusty death metal that still carries more of a hardcore attitude. This time they have Jay Weinberg fromm Slipknot/ Suicidal Tendencies behind the kit. They waste no time doing what they do. The album does not have the overproduced sheen you might expect from a band that is now playing bigger stages. It is pretty raw and almost feels more like a Nails record, the way the riffs crash into you. There is a weird thing going on where they are also using a rougher, more in-your-face approach to songwriting that is not driven by hooky riffs, as it has the bandd work as a unified machine. It is, in other words, taking what they did on their last album and making it more confrontational.

The songs are compact and punchy. "A Blaze of Nihilism" works off a dense rumble with more melodic guitar parts circling its rumble. "After Oblivion" stirs up more of a punk sense of sonics. There is a bit of sludge to some of the heavy-handed riffs. The vocals drop into a lower death metal growl. There is a doomier mood at the onset of "Hidden in the Moor," but the pace quickly picks up."Vivid Reflections" finds more melody beginning to creep in the edges, and this album takes on a darker, more apocalyptic feel." The Flourishing Flesh" is just over a minute yet manages to find its footing.

There are actual sung vocals on the title track. This was unexpected. Guitar-wise, there is a bleaker sound that reminds me of old Kylesa. "Barbarian Scourge" is more straightforward and pummeling until it wanders off into a darker riff in the middle, and feels more like they are jamming out into the guitar solo. They close out the album with the crusty stomp of "Respect Mortality." This album is darker than the previous one but very much on par with it. I will give it a 9.5 and see how it grows on me.

pst278