Death Mask Replica

The best way to describe Bombs of Hades is crusty death metal. While there is clearly a crust edge in their hellish bombardment and attitude, it is winched along by the mammoth death metal machine that has become the squad’s source of energy. “Death Mask Replica” picks up where “Atomic Temples” left off, roiling and bruising in a familiar salvo. The band isn’t blessed with stunning uniqueness; their albums are channeled through a handful of mediums that are easy to pick up and analyze. Bombs of Hades has the irreplaceable luxury of continuing to piss out quality, although I’m not calling “Death Mask Replica” a masterpiece. What it is, is a solid piece of crusty death metal that is raw, razing, and high on hate.

I guess Bombs of Hades can be chalked up to a group like Napalm Death, whose forte and quality output have remained mostly unchanged. “Death Mask Replica” takes crust punk in one hand, an overdose of death metal in the other, and balls them up to form an undisputed abomination. Most of the traditional Bombs of Hades cuts are catlike and vicious, cutting across the two genres with death metal riffs and growling vocals while pumping out blood with little touches of crust that hit the spot. It is never a bad time when the band spits out a total punk bobbing like “Tombsday,” but a track like “On Pillars of Madness” which runs to the horizon with death metal is clearly the superior song. A one-trick pony deserves a treat if its trick still entertains, and it’s safe to say the mix of crust and death that has been the Bombs of Hades signature comes away with another fine pounding of one’s pooper.

The crew’s attempts to change up the rocketing crust-stuffed death metal textures are often not as rewarding; they are a little too jaded to make much of an impact. “Burning Angel (Uhuru)” is a blue whale at seven minutes compared to most of the other tunes racking up just a few minutes here and there. While it’s a solid track, the slow droning of the riffs and its measured pace cause it to overstay its welcome. “Old Fires Die” and “When the Reaper Comes” are mid-paced stomps that squirm around clunky riffs and throw off the record’s groove, two songs here that should have been cut. Otherwise, “Death Mask Replica” is more of the same from Bombs of Hades, but the same ain’t too shabby. In fact, this would probably have been better than “Atomic Temples” had “Old Fires Die” and “When the Reaper Comes” been given the death penalty. Long story short, Bombs of Hades still rules.

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com