Rise and Fall "Hellmouth" CD
[Surprise Attack]
Not too shabby.  Here we have 10 tracks of straightforward metallic hardcore from Belgium that definitely reminds me of the Cleveland sound from a musical standpoint, so expect hoarse vocal yells over chunky chord progressions that offer a mix of moderately paced rhythms and chugging breakdowns.  They don't really offer up much variety, but they pull no punches either, so I'm all for it.  Most of the tracks hover right around two minutes each and follow basic structures.  Check out the slick dissonant riffing and eerie spoken vocals and samples that make up "As the City Burns" for an example of what the band has to offer when they briefly venture into new territory, though.  Good stuff!  "Tongue Tied" also pulls out some faster picking patterns and a noisy break with pounding bass underneath abrasive guitar textures for another quick exploration of outside influences, with "Turn and Run" being the only track that throws in an instance of clean guitars against the distorted chords for a little added melody (a rare characteristic on this one).  The solo in "Where Ghosts Roam" is heavily inspired by Slayer via Integrity and is actually pretty promising sans one major flub just prior to the end that I'm surprised they didn't redo, so they ought to watch that in the future since it definitely breaks the flow.  The recording is pretty damn solid.  I wish the guitar tone was a little more in your face somehow, but for the most part they're on point.  The vocals sound excellent, the percussion is crisp yet in check, and the bass tone blends in nicely with the guitars while retaining enough of its own space.  I think the distortion maybe needs a little more warmth to its crunch since something in there feels a little held back, but within five minutes your ears adjust and everything balances out nicely.  The last two tracks are from their split CD with Paint the Town Red and sound a little thinner, but still tolerable.  There's a little less definition and overall punch, but that's no big deal because the songs are totally solid.  Visually speaking, the layout is printed on matte paper and contains solid color band photos amidst immediately identifiable Dave Quiggle artwork, so everything looks killer to me.  Of course the lyrics cut straight to the chase: "I can't remember when this began and I don't know when it will end wonder when I shut my eyes and it all went black looked in the mirror for answers but it just stared right back need something to pull me through need something..."  I don't know what else to say, this is a short and consistent disc that delivers in full.  I'd really love to hear the band branch out a bit more with material like "As the City Burns" though, because that's definitely the strongest song on this entire disc.  Fans of this style should look into this, I'd say.  I won't be surprised if these guys start to make a bit more noise over the next year or two. (7/10)
Running time - 24:52, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: As the City Burns, Turn and Run, Give and Take]
Surprise Attack Records - http://www.surpriseattackrecords.com

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