The Pitch: Minnesota industrial-infused death/deathcore band Buried Above Ground prep for their upcoming tour with the likes of Carnifex, Oceano, and Winds of Plague with their latest release, The Crown via Seek and Strike.
What I Like: The Crown has an undeniably industrialized sound coursing through its veins not unlike that of Dawn of Ashes or Tyrant of Death. Buried Above Ground could easily be another big, dumb, breakdown-heavy deathcore group, but with this additional aesthetic they become something much more. The massive bass, eerie synths, and digitized distortion all serve to elevate otherwise simple compositions into a crushing cyborg assault. And as often goes hand-in-hand with anything industrial, the drumming is certainly of note. This driving, Fear Factory-esque rhythm section is very impressive and surprisingly organic. Sampling a few random sections from "March To The Gallows" alone should turn up a variety of approaches and killer fills. I'm also a big fan of both the Anaal Nathrakh-meets-Whitechapel vocals and infectious synth hooks that serve to differentiate and deepen the experience of each track. The latter reminds me of Born of Osiris or dare I say a MUCH heavier Linkin Park.
Critiques: The guitarwork leaves a lot to be desired. I'm largely against filling the majority of a song with steady chugging. It ends up feeling like one big breakdown, which may sound better in theory than practice. There are certainly moments where we get something more than binary (like the solo on "You Bleed So Beautiful"), but I'd easily rank this as the most average element of Buried Above Ground's sound.
The Verdict: The Crown is a f%$king heavy deathcore album that benefits greatly from its industrial metal foundations. I'd like to see the band step up their riffing in the future, but the drums, vocal, and synths do more than make up for the simplicity.
Flight's Fav's: The Crown, Sin Eater, Doomed To Drown
-Review by FlightOfIcarus
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