Every Time I Die The Burial Plot Bidding War

This band is a full-on sonic assault. They employ virtually every hardcore trick known to man on this release. From technical noisecore riffs and pounding hardcore grooves, to bass-heavy breakdowns and stop-and-go thrash runs, The Burial Plot Bidding War is one intense album. The band never truly settles into one riff or theme, perferring instead to punish listeners with change after change. The musical abstraction is loosely sewn together with the anguished screams of Keith, the vocalist. His style is typically a strange, high-pitched hardcore howl, although some of his contributions could almost be considered singing, especially on the final track "Morphine Season". His approach somehow manages to work for most of the album, although there is definitely room for some improvement. Many of the vocals are difficult to hear and sound almost as if they were recorded behind a door or something. Every Time I Die are fairly tight and seem technically competent. This definitely isn't straight up 4/4 metal they're playing. There's plenty of variety on this album, and it will be quite interesting to see what the band does given the loosened constraints of a full-length. Bottom Line: In general, when the group presents a focused and tight effort, they're quite good, however, they occassionally seem to drown in the wake of their own hardcore squall. But then again, there's more than enough to enjoy on The Burial Plot Bidding War, and all five tracks are solid. If the band would simply retool portions of the vocals and cut back on some of the needless mayhem, they could definitely sell some records.