So lemme tell ya about this band out of Minnesota called BURIED ABOVE GROUND. They are of the deathcore/death metal variety, but I find that their sound leans more to the former, not the latter. Which is fine, because they do what they do very well. Made up of DJ (guitars), EM (vocals), DF (drums), and CM (bass) this fearsome foursome is looking to fuck shit up all over town with their debut offering Birth, out now. The songs also have a horror movie-vibe about them, something I’m always drawn to.
The first track that grabbed my attention was the seven-minute-and-change “We All Have Nothing.” With a fantastic guest vocal from Courtney LaPlante of IWRESTLEDABEARONCE for added effect, this one is truly a standout. Opener and first single “I Am God” is a legitimate throat-grabber designed to crush your windpipe, and “Blood Red” ups that ante even further, the band bulldozing its way over and through you with some eerie keyboards behind them. Death is coming, and this is His entrance theme.
A child’s toy, like a jack in the box opens “The Evil One” and then a slow, doomy riff takes hold before the song picks it up and gets a move on. I liked it, but didn’t love it. Now, “Close Your Eyes” is one I can get behind, because it invokes images of people being fed into a meat grinder and screaming in agony as they die painfully. That made me grin from ear to ear. Yeah yeah, I have problems, blah blah blah. Either way, this is a great fucking song! The slow grind (see what I did there?) and EM’s growls really made me love it.
Closer “Serpent” is all business and every member of the band is playing their fucking asses off from beginning to end. This is definitely the most smash-you-in-the-face-with-a-hammer song on the record, no question. All told I very much enjoyed Birth, and I think BURIED ABOVE GROUND has something special and unique to offer in a genre full of sound-alikes and copycats. You can snag a copy HERE dirt cheap, so you’d be crazy not to!
STANDOUT TRACKS: “Serpent”, “We All Have Nothing”, “Close Your Eyes”, “Blood Red”
RATING: 4/5
