The Pitch: Charleston sludge and death-infused hardcore band Left Behind are at it again with No One Goes To Heaven via Pure Noise Records. FFO: Early Helmet, Wolf King, The Apex
What I Like: Amidst my quest for all things unique and innovative, I often find myself also detouring to find the stupid-heaviest caveman s#!t I can find. Left Behind continue to make the top 5 of that list. The band initially caught my ear in a big way with the absolutely crushing Seeing Red, and while the 2017 follow-up Blessed Be The Burn couldn't quite live up to the hype, I can't resist the gravitational force of these metallic brawlers. In fact, I made a point to flag this new release on Bandcamp despite it never making it to my inbox. Continuing the trend of great titles, No One Goes To Heaven is another fist-pumper of an album; packed with vitriolic, NSFW lyrics and groovy, sludgy HM-2 buzz. Breakdowns abound, and Matt Honeycutt of Kublai Khan even makes an appearance. Once more straddling the line between hardcore and death metal, this feels like a return to form for the band with a few interesting experiments like the expansive desert vibes of "God Calls Out" or almost Primitive Man-ish "What Makes You Hurt."
Critiques: When it comes to this approach, the shorter the better. A nice focused fist does a lot more damage than an open hand, so I'd argue that this seems a bit bloated.
The Verdict: While it can't quite live up to the atomic fury of Seeing Red, this comes in at a close second. No One Goes To Heaven takes the initial blueprint and expands it in new directions far more effectively than its predecessor and leaves behind a pretty consistently engaging experience. Only $7 for digital.
Flight's Fav's: Peeling Wax, Hell Rains From Above, Shadow Of Fear
- Review by FlightOfIcarus
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