Born From Pain "Sands of Time" CD
[Gangstyle]
Hell yeah. Here's the latest full-length from these metalcore bashers out of Holland, this time with a heavier sound and an even more refined and focused approach. I'm definitely still hearing a big Hatebreed influence musically and vocally, but musically they tend to more often alter the tempos and throw in different chord variations/metal riffs and such (ala All Out War and Merauder, as I said when I heard their last record). It's basically the same thing the band has always been doing, but this time they're doing a slightly better job of it. Few songs top three minutes, the total running time is just under a half-hour, and they cut to the chase with tons of killer breakdowns and no nonsense metalcore the way it was meant to be. It's straightforward, there's really not much more to it than that... The only thing I don't like about the production is that the drums are entirely too rigid (especially the snare), so they tend to pop out too much. But the guitar tone is fucking massive, the bass is in there adding just enough low-end, the vocals are forceful and mixed perfectly against the guitars, etc. If the drums were a bit more controlled or natural this thing would sound perfect. The layout on this baby is fucking awesome. It's all black and white with some metallic gold ink, but the visuals look great (some band shots and some excellent photos of crisp, dismal architecture and sort of dirty, run down cityscapes and such) and the booklet is packed. There are also some awesome pages that are printed on semi-transparent vellum (including some of the band photos) which creates interesting visual effects as the pages overlap. The lyrics are in line with the band's past material, generally dealing with life's hardships and perseverance, and occasionally bringing in some unexpected sort of apocalyptic overtones. "Damage has been done. This can't be the end. The end of an endless road. Take the dark away. The road to take myself home. Face the longest day. Face the longest. Face the longest day. Cut my heart out. I'm thrown back in the dark. Hold my breath as words make wounds. Sanity seems far. Life hits back. It's pounding in. I'm drowning in the blood. From open wounds. Old and new. Peace I will find none." If you like it tough as nails with no fucking around, check these guys out... (7/10)
Running time - 29:21, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: Day of the Scorpio, Under These Skies, Harvest, Here Lies Civilization]
Gangstyle Records - http://www.gangstylerecords.com

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