Remember that 13-year-old kid back a few years ago who loved Korn so much? You know, the one who wore the baggie Dickies with his Adidas. He even went as far as having his dad buy him turntables and a 7-string guitar so he could start a band one day himself. Well, that same kid grew up and became that 18-year-old who discovered hard-core and metal. He picked up some Pantera, Hatebreed, and maybe even some Slipknot. What band could possibly cater his tastes now?
Enter Bury Your Dead.
The Worchester, MA-based quintet are currently on the road as part of the Don't Call It a Comeback tour with Suicide Silence, Stick To Your Guns, and Since The Flood. They are supporting their latest release, Beauty and the Breakdown on Victory Records. Recorded with Jason Suecof (Trivium, God Forbid), the formula for Beauty and the Breakdown is simple: Plenty of roaring screams in the vein of Jamey Jasta and Corey Taylor, a punishing amount of breakdowns (hence the name of the album), and the ability to maintain the destructive tempo that could sit along side anything off Hatebreed's The Rise of Brutality.
While that may sound like the start of a favorable review, it is not quite, but it isn't a bad one, either. As I continued to listen, I realized you aren't going to find anything technical in the metal sense. There is a lack of variety from track to track, but that is what seems to work for BYD. Songs such as "House of Straw" and "A Wishing Well" stand out as the solid songs, catchy and fast. Hard-core purists may find the comparisons to Korn adverse and ill advised, but this CD would make anyone still aching for some nu-metal bliss quite happy.
The question now remained: could they could deliver the goods live? Having already paid their dues on Ozzfest in 2005 and last year's Family Values tour, I was very looking forward to their live show for sure. One of their tour stops brought them to the Ridglea Theater in Ft Worth, TX. Their new vocalist in Micheal Crafter (formally of I Killed The Prom Queen & Carpathian) came in from Australia, and he immediately made his presence known to the slowly sparse crowd (mainly due to being a school night). It didn't hinder them from delivering a blistering 45-minute set.
Crafter managed to surpass his thick Australian accent (and some sound difficulties) and bring out the last ounces of energy the crowd had. Guitarists Slim MacDonald and Eric Ellis kept the riffs going while displaying some acrobatic spins that brought a stronger element to their stage show. Drummer Mark Castillo deserves a nod for how he handled and delivered solid double-bass drumming throughout the whole set.
At the end of the day, Bury Your Dead keep the music simple and heavy. Their consistency will definitely be advantageous in the current state of the hard-core/metal scene with bands aplenty. The old saying of "if it ain't broke, why fix it?" seems to be the theme for them and that looks to be working out just fine.
Article comments
1 - Chris Beaumont
I think this album is pretty good. I am not a big hardcore fan, but these guys deliver the brutal breakdowns that I like.
I saw them open for Hatebreed and Killswitch Engage in December, and they did a great job f getting the crowd going, feeding off of the energy was quite a sight to see.