Review Summary: While "Red.White.Green." is a pretty good standalone album, it fails to live up to the high standards set by "The World Is Ours."
Back in 2010, San Antonio-based outfit Upon a Burning Body treated ears with a surprisingly solid Sumerian deathcore release with a savage southern attitude, entitled "The World Is Ours." Vocalist Danny Leal showed off his pipes as a worthy contender in the scene, guitarists CJ Johnson and Sal Dominguez created diverse groove-oriented breakdowns and rhythms and displayed some great technicality unseen in much deathcore, bassist Ruben Alvarez was unheard (but you know...), and drummer Jonathan Gonzales showed off some impressive double bass and some complex yet powerful drumming. The whole package came together as an adrenaline-pumping, badass album, loads of fun to listen to.
Enter "Red.White.Green." Now, I heard the previously released songs off the album ("Sin City" and "Once Upon a Time In Mexico"), and I was pumped. Although the sound was different than the last outing, it still seemed to possess the passion of their previous CD. Gone were the groove-oriented breakdowns or the guitar duals, and went for a more forward deathcore approach, "Sin City" especially. Although it was not as original as before, I was still excited. Then it was released.
Right off the back, it becomes clear that this five-piece would like to replicate almost the exact same structure as their first album. "Game Over" is like a watered-down version of "Showtime," acting as the intro track, sporting a huge breakdown and some "badass" lyrics, which will be discussed later. Track 4, "Texas Blood Money" is another watered-down track, essentially trying to replicate "Intermission" from the first album almost exactly. There's still the boasting about how much they can drink and party (in context of how awesome Texas is); there's still the two guys yelling profanities about how they're back and will tear us a new one and such; and there's still breakdowns, but lamer this time. "El Mariachi" is probably the most unnecessary track that will ever exist in UABB's discography, being an acoustic song, no doubt trying to reproduce the acoustic eerie plucking at the ending of "Scarface." The first half of the disc proves to disappoint, even though "Sin City" and "Once Upon a Time In Mexico" are quite enjoyable songs.
The second half of the disc thankfully improves. "Desperado" is probably the closest one will get to their former groove-oriented selves, and this song is a destroyer. Starting off with a slow buildup of guitar and intense drums, it morphs into a huge adrenaline-pumping song. Danny's vocals here are fierce, and his shouts are chill-inducing. The breakdown at the end of the song is one of the highlights of the album, simply by how defiant and crushing it is: the gang-vocals of "I bow to no man!" to Danny's shouts of "So f**k you! What the f**k do you believe in?" exhibit immense passion and power.
"Mimic" and "Predator" are good songs, but seem to flow together, and with "From Dusk Till Dawn," they all showcase a variety of guests. The guest vocalist for "Predator" is Jonny Plague from Winds of Plague, and he makes a great appearance. Apparently, Chris Fronzak from Attila is featured on "Mimic" but honestly, I cannot tell where he shows up. "From Dusk Till Dawn" is my personal favorite of the three, because it is one of the heaviest albeit shortest tracks UABB has come up with, plus the appearance of Fit For An Autopsy's Nate Johnson is positively orgasmic, slowing things down and showcasing his extreme bellows.
"Planet Terror" is really nothing special, but closer "The Island of Lost Dreams" is another highlight. This track is similar to "City Hall" from their first album, but in a positive way. "City Hall" was a long song, and "The Island of Lost Dreams" condenses the passion and energy into a 3 minute 47 second song, with powerful lyrics ("So close your eyes and scream with me. What we do in this life will echo in eternity.") and some great guitar work. So the album closes on a positive note.
Other than the watered-down fashion of the aforesaid songs, "Red.White.Green." still has some other issues that keep it from being great. First, the lyrics. While most songs have profanity in them, it is a hit or miss in regards to the language. For instance, it's almost laughable in "Game Over" when Leal growls "If you won't run with us, run from us, motherf**ker." However, as mentioned earlier, the profanity is extremely effective in "Desperado." Of course, Leal's pronunciation of f-bombs are still an issue as it was in "The World Is Ours," as it is overpronounced and often unnecessary. One of my biggest problems with this album is the production. Last time, the drums ran rampant, and the guitars hit every rhythm, successful due to the gritty and savage yet polished production. In "Red.White.Green.", it seems as though the guitars are over-muddled and cover the drums too often, and it is difficult to hear them in the mix. The rhythms and guitars playing them off of each other is virtually gone (despite some attempts every now and then) and therefore the sound can be overwhelming and do not compliment the drumming at all.
"Red.White.Green.", although imperfect, is still a solid deathcore release, but it pales in comparison to their first outing. It seems to lack the conviction and passion they so powerfully held during "The World Is Ours," and therefore the album lacks substance. However, it is still an enjoyable album with quite a few redeeming qualities.
