Bullethole "Incarceration" CD
[Black Lotus]
The label calls this Greek band "explosive nu-metal/thrash core", the artwork makes it look sort of like a death metal record or something, and the music contained within is neither. It's brutal, groove-laden metalcore that sounds not unlike a combination of some of the heavier NYHC bands with traditional European metalcore and a little bit of a modern metal (i.e. Machine Head/Pantera) vibe to some of the chord progressions. The vocals are just throaty shouts, nothing but. This isn't bad, but the writing is pretty boring. I don't think there are enough tempo changes, and the songs tend to sound similar to one another, but it sort of bugs me in this case. "Thorn in Their Back" cuts to the chase and reminds me of Merauder, and since it's not as groovy as some of the other tracks it's by far one of the better pieces. The production isn't bad, but it is inconsistent. For the most part it's a little bit muddy in areas, but I can handle it. The drums sound tolerable (rigid but not bad), I love the bass tone, the guitars are pretty damn heavy, and the vocals are barely out front. I might like to hear a smoother guitar tone with a little bit more all around clarity in the mix, but it sounds better than a lot of these bands tend to. I just wish it was consistent, because some tracks are thicker, others are dryer, etc. and that can disrupt the flow. The layout's not so bad. I'm not too fond of the band logo or the typefaces used, and I tend to dislike it when band photos play such a large role in the imagery, but this looks fairly professional and consistent, so they pull it off. The lyrics are pretty bitter and simplistic, dealing with personal turmoil and such, and I don't really care for them per se: "Born in a world of taking without giving, My life planned out it doesn't feel worth living, I live on my knees, I crave for demise, Buried in my debris, But I will arise..." There's a lot of potential here. It's cool to hear a band of this style coming from Greece. I really think they should use some faster tempos and get rid of the annoying groove parts, because they're at their best when they refrain from that mess, but we'll see what happens... (5/10)
Running time - 32:05, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: Thorn in Their Back, Moment of Hate]
Black Lotus Records - http://www.black-lotus-recs.com

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