Thursday, March 2, 2017

SUNLIGHT'S BANE - The Blackest Volume Like All Earth Was Buried review



SUNLIGHT'S BANE - The Blackest Volume Like All Earth Was Buried  

Innerstrength Records




There was a time when the yardstick for comparing good grindcore was how they measured to bands like NAPALM DEATH, BRUTAL TRUTH and early CARCASS (now called the classics). Then after working their way up the ladder PIG DESTROYER completely redifined the genre a decade ago. So for years now they have been the standard bearer for the extreme be it grind and in some instances modern hardcore (which I lovingly refer to as crap). Michigan 's SUNLIGHT'S BANE definitely has the roaring wall of intensity that reminds me of PIG DESTROYER. Strangely enough since one of the band members is sporting a ANAAL NATHRAKH hoodie in their promo photo I was gonna say they're going that path as well, aka: black metal, although I would never call this blackened grind.

According to the band's bio, and I'm paraphrasing here, they're not happy with the contemporary sound and presentation of modern extreme music. So with this their debut full length they hope to move beyond the average and create something new, more abrasive and threatening. OK I'm cool with that but the first couple of cuts on here are contemporary pummeling, face rippers. Yeah they slow it up after a few riffs but the tempo face punch is still there. I've been listening to this stuff for a long while in this post PIG DESTROYER genre world. Hell the last time I was really impressed was back in 2011 when I reviewed a split CD by two French powerviolence bands. I thought that was amazing since the last time the French were not in a surrending mode was when they pushed the Romans out of Gaul. And they weren't even French then.

It's not until the fifth track, "I Am the Cold, Harsh Whispers In Hell"  where things finally get somewhat interesting. The band cuts away from blugeoning and allows some paced blackened death to seep though their chaos. The following cut, "Dance of Thorns" also allows their wannabe blackened influence to come out. Their drummer needed a break probably since everything slows down to a snail's pace. Shall I go on? No I won't because at first listen I thought this was cool and interesting. After a few more plays I'm like, OK everyone has a vision. This band needs to work on there's. 

Rating: 2/5 

http://www.innerstrengthmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/sunlightsbane/

https://sunlightsbane.bandcamp.com/ 

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