BLACK BREATH — Heavy Breathing (review)

BLACK BREATH — Heavy Breathing album cover Album · 2010 · Crust Punk Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
UMUR
"Heavy Breathing" is the debut full-length studio album by US, Seattle, Washington based metal act Black Breath. The album was released through Southern Lord Records in March 2010. Black Breath was formed in 2006 and released a demo that same year before releasing the promising "Razor to Oblivion" EP in 2008. A release that screamed for a successor.

The music on "Heavy Breathing" is a combination of death, thrash and hardcore punk (which is a continuation of the style on "Razor to Oblivion"), but ultimately Black Breath can be labelled none of those. The death metal elements on the album consist of a really obvious Entombed (and in part Dismember) influence. The thrash metal influence is heard in the caustic vocal delivery (which is not growling despite the death metal influences in the music) and some really heavy and groovy mid-paced thrashy riffing. And to top of the genre confusion there are several hardcore punked D-beat rhythms and simple but effective riffing on the album too. The music is as such not very original, but it´s damn effective. The 40:13 minutes long album is an exhausting experience (which in this case is positive). Relentless aggressive energy, and an ear for simple yet effective songwriting. "Heavy Breathing" is not one-dimensional though, which a track like the instrumental title track ensures. There´s a good balance between the faster aggressive parts and the mid-paced heavy parts all the way through the album and that ensures some variation too.

The sound production is crushing. Raw and filthy but not lo-fi. When the band strike the old school Swedish death metal vein, it´s impossible not to think of the good old Sunlight Studio.

"Heavy Breathing" is every bit as great as I had hoped for and effectively develops on the sound that was initiated on the "Razor to Oblivion" EP. The album is raw, filthy, mean, and aggressive death´n´roll/crossover thrash, delivered with a fierce energy and tons of conviction. A big 4 star (80%) rating is well deserved.
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