Review Summary: If you've come to mosh and have a good time, you've found the perfect record. Otherwise I'd skip over this.
Bury Your Dead is one of very many bands in the business that are as loved as they are hated. Given that they manage to pull off breakdown laden, and chug heavy brand of hardcore a lot better then most. Their raw sound was highly influential as almost any hardcore band today can't help, but list Bury Your Dead under their influences. This is a band that doesn't rely on technicality, but rather proves that a moshing good time can sometimes be the best way to make a record.
Bury Your Dead have progressed from their previous album which relied on bro worthy lyrics, 2-stepping, and raw production. The lyrics aren't certainly as bad as Cover Your Tracks, gone is “***ing tie em' up baby!”, and “you little bitch all you did was snitch!” instead the songs seem to take a more serious approach as evidenced from their theme of the last album being
Tom Cruise movies to the fairytale of a woman and her abuser. Also another added element are the electronic moments which are usually implemented in the best way without it sounding out of place. Mat's vocals are as glutteral, and as powerful as it was before who manages to scream with the best of them, which manages to be a highlight on this album.
The album opens up with the strong track “House of Straw”, which showcases successfully that they can blend mosh-worthy hardcore with electronics. The album is very consistent and not one song manages to let up steam, but at the same time they manage to keep it relatively fresh. Several highlights include the “The Poison Apple” which is perfect for all forms of mosh and 2-step. “Twelfth Stroke of Midnight” happens to be one of the band's strongest releases to date with it's immense intensity to be extremely entertaining. “Let Down Your Hair” has also special praise for it's clever opening bassline, and “Mirror, Mirror...” has a clever electronic segment that's almost semi-ambient. Before the album ends with the heavy track “House of Brick” with riffs and breakdowns galore.
How you enjoy this album is how a fun, moshing album sounds. If it sounds stupid, generic, and boring to you then you're more then likely not to appreciate this album, however when it comes to a fun, bouncing hardcore record such as this there are few that can do it like influential New England party of Bury Your Dead.
