Album Review
Quick! Name a technically proficient deathcore band from Arizona. My guess is 90% of you said “Uhh… What?” while the other 10% more than likely said Job For A Cowboy. With their debut, Death is Swallowed in Victory, these gents from Tucson are out to make you scream “A BREATH BEFORE SURFACING!” next time you are asked that question… which will assuredly be never.
Contrasting high/low screams, frenzied dual-guitars, overly triggered machine-like drums, bass drops, breakdowns? Yup, this is deathcore alright. Is it good enough to dethrone JFAC as Arizona’s kings of core? Not any time soon. Is it good enough to get kids with asymmetrical haircuts to try to tear each other apart? Sure, but what isn't these days? Will anyone care about this band/album five or six years from now? Extremely unlikely. Will anyone care in five or six weeks? Does anyone care now?
To be fair to the band, these guys know their way around their instruments, they play some pretty heavy tunes, and they named their intro track “Summoning The Lord Of The Pit” which is pretty cool. Given a broader palette of influences to bring some much-needed diversity to the fold, A Breath Before Surfacing have more than enough talent to do some damage in the scene. Ultimately they fall in the same traps as seemingly every deathcore band, namely, focusing too much on technicality/brutality and not nearly enough on songs/originality. I mean, you could be five songs deep shuffling a playlist with these guys and a dozen other deathcore bands and never realize the first song ended much less realize that a completely different band is playing.
Contrasting high/low screams, frenzied dual-guitars, overly triggered machine-like drums, bass drops, breakdowns? Yup, this is deathcore alright. Is it good enough to dethrone JFAC as Arizona’s kings of core? Not any time soon. Is it good enough to get kids with asymmetrical haircuts to try to tear each other apart? Sure, but what isn't these days? Will anyone care about this band/album five or six years from now? Extremely unlikely. Will anyone care in five or six weeks? Does anyone care now?
To be fair to the band, these guys know their way around their instruments, they play some pretty heavy tunes, and they named their intro track “Summoning The Lord Of The Pit” which is pretty cool. Given a broader palette of influences to bring some much-needed diversity to the fold, A Breath Before Surfacing have more than enough talent to do some damage in the scene. Ultimately they fall in the same traps as seemingly every deathcore band, namely, focusing too much on technicality/brutality and not nearly enough on songs/originality. I mean, you could be five songs deep shuffling a playlist with these guys and a dozen other deathcore bands and never realize the first song ended much less realize that a completely different band is playing.
greenz |
posted on 1/2011 |
Though this publication is way old, and I'm reading that this band had a storm of bad luck creep over them causing for there disbanding, I have to say that I do not place this as death core. I disagree with the rating this album got by the writer, the songwriting should get more credit, I mean the music is sick and the vox has a good grind to it. Personally when it comes to the lyrics who really cares. the musicianship is top notch as well, there are few breakdowns and when they do come to play, they match the flow of the song quite well.
I'm basing my thoughts on these song that I just now listened to:
Disharmony among choirs
Death is swallowed in victory
just what the monster ordered
krustster |
posted on 8/2008 |
An opinion's an opinion, but it's kinda ridiculous to say this band sounds the same as Whitechapel, Carnifex and Job for a Cowboy when those bands don't even sound the same as each other. This album is a lot faster with way less breakdowns, more like As Blood Runs Black or Embrace the End. Almost exactly like those bands, in fact. I dunno, whether something is good or not depends on the listener, but I though this was a pretty badly done review.
Irukandji |
posted on 8/2008 |
shit, and i almost picked this up. that intro track title is pretty cool.
it's reviews like this that should teach young musicians to broaden their listening habits, get some classical training, or do whatever to develope better musical ideas that they can apply their brutal chops to.
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Kenny |
posted on 8/2008 |
Tyler, I realise deathcore doesn't rate highly with a lot of people (myself included) and probaby deserved the abbreviated review you gave it, but i would like to know if this band is in the Whitechapel/Carnifex/Suicide Silence vein of deathcore (which i have no time for) or more like Despised Icon/Beneath the Massacre/Through the Eyes of the Dead (who i do enjoy)?
I almost feel ashamed asking actually, i really don't want to be one of the people who 'care' hehe!
