The Great Depression

First of all, let me just clear up a key issue for any death metal purists out there who may be skeptical of this release; fear not, this really is a death metal album. One of the few bands that manage to shake free the shakles of '-core' influence, Trigger The Bloodshed avoid releasing Purgation Mark II: The Deathcore Odyssey and really find their mark with The Great Depression.

The UK underground youngsters have found the formula, then. But bloody hell, do they stick to it. They stick to it so much so that me discussing how songs like The Scourging Impurity, or Contemporary Perception Narcotics, complement the general feel of the album, is an exercise in futility, as they could pretty much be the same song. Permanently stuck in fourth gear and never drifting from the middle lane, The Great Depression, brutal as it is, never really expands upon the boundaries it sets itself from the outset. You want a death metal album? Here is a death metal album. No more, no less. Well, that's fine, but the problem is that it doesn't pose the most interesting listen.

Again, though, the potential is there. Infliction of Tophet is worth pointing out, even if only for its slight differences to the other songs that comprise this 11 track album, and in Dessicate Earth we find... a guitar solo! The general tone of which, it should be noted, reminded me of a Hate Eternal lead, so they at least listen to the right stuff.

The production, however, is a real let down. The drums are positively DROWNED by guitar, which reveals a big chink in the albums armour; sorry guys, but the songwriting is not great. It's efficiently played (even if at times sloppily executed), but the riffs are for the most part pretty uninspiring. Annoyingly, when I listen to the album through the speakers on my laptop, the quality of which is shite, then the drums (which, by the way, are truly phenominal for a kid his age) come clicking through, and you can poperly appreciate the variation in the vocals. Having said that, when the best sound quality comes out of laptop speakers then something is not right...

This is definately a better release that Purgation; no need for splitting hairs, this is a death metal CD. But therefore it must be marked accordingly, and reviewed with consequential perspective. Is this a death metal CD that will stand the test of time? Almost certainly not. Is it worth a listen? If your laptop has speakers, yeah, why not? Don't expect too muxh back, though, as there' still a way to go before any memorable material is on the cards. I am giving them a relatively low mark. But I am giving them a fair bit of kudos; this could have been a lot worse; a core friendly unit shifter void of any musical intention, and that it ain't, so well done for that lads.