The Pitch: New Jersey serves up some delectably vicious new hardcore in the form of River Black via Season of Mist. "River Black is an emotional reaction; an answer to the call of today's heavy music. It is a creative process that journeys to the heart and soul; purging all the good, the bad and the ugly along the way." FFO: Ion Dissonance, The Red Chord, Burnt By The Sun
What I Like: Featuring members of Burnt By The Sun, Revocation, Municipal Waste and others, it comes as no surprise that River Black is an album that comes across with plenty of confidence in its abilities. Everyone brings something to the table worth scarfing down in a gluttonous rage. The vocals demand your attention with a delivery that reminded me quite a bit of Ion Dissonance's recent Cast The First Stone. Even the more simplistic lyrics of tracks like "Boat" get under your skin and demand a certain reaction. This is very much aided by the sometimes mathcore-ish guitarwork ("Move") and well-produced, energetic drumming. And aside from the already enjoyable, but typical, bouts of D-beats and infectious hooks, there are a few surprise touches here and there like the titular violin interlude and outro on "South X South" and Brannt Dailor's (Mastodon) instantly recognizeable clean vocals on "Haunt."
Critiques: Some of the earlier tracks are a little bland. I would have put some of my stronger material on the front lines; the best stuff is definitely in the second half.
The Verdict: River Black may not be the most exciting new band on the block, but with this debut they certainly leave a sizeable crater behind. This self titled effort has the sheer energy and heaviness in all of the right places, and I am intrigued at the possibilities for further experimentation. Definitely an album worth listening to and one I'm likely to add to the shelf as well. Stream it below right now.
Flight's Fav's: South X South, Boat, Move, #Victim