Belay My Last – The Downfall / 2007 Mediaskare / 13 Tracks/ http://www.myspace.com/belaymylast
I had heard a lot of buzz about Belay my last through Myspace and the other various means that metal buzz travels through. I honestly was expecting a fairly generic metalcore band; but was pleasantly surprised to discover upon popping this record into my CD player that this was essentially one of the best new death metal bands that I had heard in some time. With undertones that reflect the new California death metal movement, this band would fit right along side Animosity and could probably hold their own next to them. The only gripe I have with this record is that it is really long. 13 tracks is a lot for any band in metal, especially with most songs clocking in between 3 and 5 minutes.
Right from the beginning of this record they have technical, fast guitar work in the vein of Suffocation or more recently Animosity. It is crushing, brutal and everything that death metal should be. There are no hooks, and nothing that would make it appeal to the mainstream top 40 demographic. So, if you like the new Death-core movement, Mosh, tech-metal or just death metal, give this record a listen. You’ll probably enjoy it.
Top Track: One more foot in the grave
Rating: 8/10
[John]
John Sargeant, writing on NeuFutur as Sargeant, is the founder and editor-in-chief of NeuFutur Magazine, where he has covered independent music, PC hardware, consumer tech, and gaming culture since 1998. With over 25 years of continuous digital publishing experience, he has written thousands of hands-on game and record reviews, conducted in-depth hardware field testing, and analyzed digital media monetization trends. His work prioritizes first-hand evaluation and long-term product testing.
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