Bury Your Dead - Bury Your Dead

Band: Bury Your Dead
Album: Bury Your Dead
Genre: Hardcore/Metal
Label: Victory

Tracks:
1. Sympathy Orchestra
2. Hands To Hide the Shame
3. Fever Dream
4. Womb Disease
5. Infidel's Hymn
6. Year One
7. Angel With A Dirty Face
8. Disposably Yours
9. A Devil's Ransom
10. Fool's Gold
11. Dust To Dust

The fight to not only make it, but to remain relevant in the hardcore scene is increasingly hard these days. Most bands may have one big song or album, then they usually get shuffled back in the catalog to be forgotten as soon as the next band arrives [in about five minutes]. However, some bands, who came onto the scene before Myspace had everyone dropping their guitars to drop D tuning and starting their own metal band, have been able to maintain a bit of longevity in the genre, but they still need to keep things fresh. Bury Your Dead is an example of this kind of act and now, after losing their old vocalist, have re-emerged from the faceless realm of "been there, heard that" with a new self titled album that proves they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

I use to think that self titled albums, especially when not the debut from a band, was a bit of a cop out. I'm all about creativity and just putting your name for the title seems old and cheesy. I think this idea came from hearing one to many bands say, "We named the album after the band because it's a true showcase of who we are." Never has a line sounded more rehearsed from a musicians mouth than that. Though this is the 4th album from BYD, with a new singer, the sound has changed so an album representing their new direction with no real titled is allowed. Bury Your Dead are still metal, just with a few new tricks. "Sympathy Orchestra," the opener tears out of the album like a wolf on the prowl with a near instantaneous intro into the new vocal style and the brutal breakdowns BYD is known for to showcase all that they have brought with them this time around. I found a real standout on, "Womb Disease," which pulses with one of the catchiest bass lines I've ever heard from a metal band. It burrows into your stream of conscience and doesn't let you focus on anything, but the vocals and music. BYD, especially on this song, layer the vocals a lot more than in the past which is a welcome change, however, in what some would call typical BYD style, voice modulation is overly apparent. If I had to pick the single worthy track, it would definitely be, "Angel With A Dirty Face," as it plays like a run of the mill hardcore song, but with the sweet taste of something that just strikes your core in a way that let's you know that though the sound is common, this is no common group. As the album comes to a close, the journey we've been taken on doesn't let us go easily. "Dust To Dust," a fitting title, as it is the closer, starts with a single guitar riffing as the toms and bass drum build and build until we're thrown into a breakdown destined to incite shadowy basement show riots. The vocals are thick and in your face until the very end, at which point you realize that not only has BYD found a new vocalist, but they've found their sound and crafted it to near perfection. Just to make it clear for old BYD fans, no, they don't chant their name at the end of the album; sorry.

Bury Your Dead is back with a vengeance, By adding a new vocalist, the band half found a way to evolve while still staying true to their breakdown heavy roots. This self titled release will definitely be a highlight on many hardcore year end lists and shines as a sign that even hardcore acts with a few albums under their belt can still make a hit. This album solidifies Bury Your Dead as a band unsigned talent should try to emulate [not imitate] and engraves their name as future legends of hardcore.


*Written By: James Shotwell*
Grade: 8/10
MYSPACE