A Life Once Lost
named their new album Hunter for a reason: they are the
hunter, you are the prey. And they are coming after you.
They use a crushing mix of mathcore, stoner metal groove
and chaos to smack you senseless and reel you in. The vocals
relentlessly scream as the guitars pair with the drums to
batter the ear before (occasionally) opening into smooth
rhythms that lulls with groove or repetition. The tracks
“Vulture” and “Pain & Panic”
epitomize this, with few classic thrash metal bridges and
solos to boot.
While Robert Meadows’ screams aren’t as clear
as Jamey Jasta’s barks, A Life Once Lost’s message
is much the same of Hatebreed: look out for number one.
The lyrics, once deciphered are pretty much simple: self-confidence
and the ambition to do what it takes to get what you want
are qualities to be prized. But the technical precision
of the music is far from that of the more direct testosterone-core
bands like Hatebreed. The songs don’t offer any typical
hardcore breakdowns; there is no pandering to mosh pits.
There are several down points to the album; the drums rely
too much on the brass, while the bass is too often lost
in the mix. The music rarely relents over the half hour
and can seem quite repetitive. The few solos and softer
intros offer welcome respite. For all of the complexity
of the timing, the band pretty much keeps the same formula,
leading to the aforementioned repetition.
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