BASTARD FEAST — Fear In A Handful Of Dust (review)

BASTARD FEAST — Fear In A Handful Of Dust album cover Album · 2011 · Sludge Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
J-Man
With their debut album, American extreme metal act Elitist proves right off the bat that they mean business. And by business, I mean absolutely filthy, sludgy, and pissed off old school death metal. Fear in a Handful of Dust is thirty-four minutes of feedback-laden, angst-ridden extreme metal that should undoubtedly satisfy anybody with a craving for hardcore-infused death metal. Elitist's brand of sludgy death metal may not rub off as particularly memorable in the eyes of this reviewer, but the sheer amount of energy shown on this debut can only promise for better things to come.

While not all that groundbreaking in the grand scheme of things, Fear in a Handful of Dust is still actually a pretty unique debut effort. Elitist's blend of death metal, hardcore punk, sludge metal, grindcore, and doom metal definitely isn't something you hear every day, and I have a great appreciation for bands like this who show such a level of ambition this early on in their careers. Fear in a Handful of Dust is not flawless, though, and it's biggest letdown is unfortunately in the songwriting department. Elitist simply haven't yet developed the skills to write memorable and compelling riffs, but I can only hope that it's something that will come in time.

Fear in a Handful of Dust is an ambitious debut to be sure, but it lacks enough memorable compositions to be worth more than a passive recommendation from me. Still, those who enjoy hardcore-influenced death metal with a strong emphasis on raw production qualities and sludgy atmospheres should plenty to love here. I'd say 3 stars are well-deserved for this debut, and I'll be keeping an eye on this promising young act in the coming years.
Share this review

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Everything Hurts And I'm Dying Atmospheric Sludge Metal
NEGATIVE BLISS
Buy this album from MMA partners
L'impôt du sang Melodic Black Metal
CONIFÈRE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Pleroma Progressive Metal
ORGONE
Buy this album from MMA partners
n​ê​bam​Ω​ejn Atmospheric Black Metal
TRHÄ
Buy this album from MMA partners
∫um'ad​∂​ejja cavvaj Atmospheric Black Metal
TRHÄ
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us