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░ ██ ██ Artist: Landmine Marathon ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Rusted Eyes Awake █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2009 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-08-07 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Death Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Prosthetic Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Let's face it. Diehard fans aside, it's rather █
█ difficult to stay excited about a lot of modern █
█ death metal. With a clichΘd analogy of your █
█ choosing (perhaps you'll go the "it's tough to █
█ reinvent the wheel" route, or maybe something █
█ about bands' inability to "think outside the box" █
█ would do), you might find it easy to make the █
█ it's-all-been-done-before case for the entire █
█ genre. Surely, we're not about to stumble upon a █
█ new Death, Morbid Angel, or At the Gates in this █
█ generation of music, right █
█ And, after little deliberation, I'd have to agree █
█ with that statement. But thanks to bands like █
█ Landmine Marathon -- bands spewing insane volumes █
█ of raw urgency upon a solid classical metal █
█ foundation -- there's hope. Sometimes it takes a █
█ record like Rusted Eyes Awake to re-stir one's █
█ dormant inner death metal fan. And I'd like to █
█ thank these guys (and girl) for that. █
█ Landmine Marathon has no shame in blending the █
█ ferociously thick riffs of Bolt Thrower's death █
█ metal with Napalm Death's blistering grind █
█ mentality. A stronger shift toward grindcore █
█ influences differentiates this album from their █
█ past releases, a move that helped renew the band's █
█ levels of energy and grit. Maybe it's because █
█ Phobia's new full-length showed up on my doorstep █
█ the very same day as Rusted Eyes Awake, but the █
█ opening riffs and drumming of the pair of early █
█ tracks, "Bile Towers," and "Certain Death," have █
█ some strong similarities to the recent output of █
█ the Californian masters of modern day crusty █
█ grindcore. "Bled to Oblivion" returns to some much █
█ appreciated Bolt Thrower worship via relentless █
█ blast beats and slower-paced harmonized riffs. And █
█ the crawling pace of "Xenocide" turns an excellent █
█ brutal death riff into a downright neck-breaker. █
█ All of this is only enhanced by frontwoman Grace █
█ Perry's absolutely tortured vocal performance and █
█ a production job that remembers when death metal █
█ was supposed to be abrasive. █
█ However, saviors of death metal Landmine Marathon █
█ is not. No band is, and it's highly unlikely that █
█ any band will ever be able to redefine death metal █
█ enough to deserve to hang their axes up next to █
█ the greats of the early 90s. But when a band is █
█ unafraid to show their love of undeniably █
█ excellent acts like Bolt Thrower and Napalm Death, █
█ and does so with the pure urgency and grit that █
█ should always accompany extreme music, that band █
█ earns it praise. And when they continue to evolve █
█ and fine tune their sound by pulling in more █
█ influences (i.e. Rusted Eyes Awake's slight, but █
█ noticeable touch of crust), giving listeners a █
█ reason to stay engaged as a result, that's the █
█ proverbial icing on the cake. █
█ Luckily, all of this rhetorical wanking can be █
█ summed up by this statement: Landmine Marathon is █
█ the reason I drove to and from my spot in █
█ Corporate America blasting metal and pumping my █
█ fists today. Rarely am I so inspired. And for █
█ that, again I thank you. █
█ Bottom Line: This is simple. Give yourself a point █
█ if you like any of the following: Bolt Thrower, █
█ Napalm Death, Phobia. If you scored a zero or █
█ higher, Landmine Marathon's Rusted Eyes Awake is █
█ your new set of death metal jams. Trust me. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Bile Towers 4:33 ░
░ 2. Certain Death 2:10 ░
░ 3. Bled to Oblivion 3:20 ░
░ 4. Xenocide 5:18 ░
░ 5. Heroin Swine 4:41 ░
░ 6. Skin From Skull 4:30 ░
░ 7. Red Days Awake 2:32 ░
░ 8. Rusted Eyes 4:43 ░
░ 31:47 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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