Burning Human Resurrection Through Fire

2009 has been a big year for E1 Entertainment, formerly know as Koch World Music. The label has built quite an impressive roster of artists, signing some of the bigger names in the metal underground right now; Burning Human joins a roster including the likes of High on Fire, Satyricon and Hatebreed. Unlike their labelmates, however, Burning Human is a relatively unknown group (besides drummer Jason Bittner, of Shadows Fall noteriety). Hailing from New York, the group plays death metal that pays tribute to the sounds of the late 90's, the same style that was being churned out of their hometown in that era. In fact, Burning Human has been around in some incarnation since at least then, forced onto the back burner as Jason Bittner's other band became his main focus. After years of inactivity, Burning Human decided to regroup and drop an album that essentially has been in the back of their heads for more than a decade. Most of their fans were teased with songs released on demos or compilations, as this is the band's first proper full-length. The album oozes mid'90s death metal, drawing influences from Suffocation, Immolation and even the mighty Incantation for the basis of its nearly 40 minute duration. The riffs are heavily groove-oriented and rarely get into the ferocious blasting that we hear in more modern DM acts. Instead, Burning Human try to keep things in a pocket of groove. Once in a while a riff or part pops up that recalls the late 80's and early 90's hardcore movement, but these elements are brief and used only to add some flavor to the band's sound. The vocals are probably the best thing about Burning Human. Jonah Randaelli is superb with his delivery. Meanwhile, the drums are spot on and I was surprised that Bittner could keep up with this level of brutality. On the other hand, though competent, the guitar riffs of J. Sunkes and bass playing of Jay VanDervoort seem a bit generic when compared to the quality output of the other two members of the band. The riffing simply lacks that creative spark that would have elevated this album to the next level. Bottom Line: Burning Human know how to write quality death metal songs in the vein of their predecessors and erstwhile peers. However, in this day and age most fans of extreme music might be looking for something a little more revolutionary and abrasive.