Brand of Sacrifice
Between Death and Dreams


3.0
good

Review

by Matty CONTRIBUTOR (62 Reviews)
April 21st, 2023 | 56 replies


Release Date: 04/21/2023 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Between Death and Dreams, Pain Becomes a Part of Me

Totally absurd deathcore act Brand of Sacrifice return with a short four song E.P. where they continue to reel destruction up from the deepest pits of hell. A genre in which pig noises, gurgled grunts and banshee shrieks have become the standard for success, Brand of Sacrifice have found themselves a champion in Kyle Anderson who is amongst the most technically talented in the scene and provides a key piece in their identity. With this release, Kyle seems to experiment a bit with a clean vocal delivery which is very hit-or-miss in that, yes, it breaks up the chaos a bit and allows for a bit more melody and distinctive chorus sections in the songs, but the quality of said vocals is a bit lacking. Certainly, there is room for improvement in terms of strengthening of melody choices and overall sound but with these four songs, the inclusion of these cleaner sections feels a bit forced and unnecessary to their success. With a multitude of deathcore bands experimenting with sung vocals successfully, i.e.: Fit for an Autopsy, Within the Ruins, Whitechapel, etc.…it’s only natural for this to be a natural evolutionary choice.

Besides the vocal experimentation, this E.P. is standard fare from the boys featuring cinematic and energetic symphonic swells as well as bouncy, operatic choir chants. These elements have become synonymous with their approach and help to differentiate them from other deathcore acts. The only issue is that the gimmick feels like it might be beginning to wear thin. While these four tracks aren’t bad, they do feel quite similar in which they embark with an explosion of noise that heightens with those symphonic elements, eventually climaxing into a brutal breakdown with lots of little guitar effects and noises while Anderson strangles a corpse or a pig with his bare fists or something of that nature. The satisfaction comes with the power of the production and excellent mix where it certainly feels like a wall of sound coming through the speakers but most of the individual elements are identifiable and important to the overall listening experience. However, the songs themselves feel like leftovers from the cutting room floor in the ‘Lifeblood’ writing sessions. With as much talent as this group has expressed in the past, these tracks are not indicative of their potential and ability. I remain hopeful that this group will return with a stronger crop of songs in the future but I’m sure that fans of the band will find solace and enjoyment from these tracks as well.



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Comments:Add a Comment 
mkmusic1995
Contributing Reviewer
April 21st 2023


2066 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

Just a short lil guy for this release. Not their best songs but not bad either.

artiswar
April 21st 2023


14927 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

I'm officially worried about the future of this band

RosaParks
April 21st 2023


858 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

i'll check this out and let y'all know if it's any good

Durrzo
April 21st 2023


3459 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

I'm officially worried about the future of this band [2]



This kinda sucks.

Purpl3Spartan
April 21st 2023


9086 Comments


When you said you were searchiiiiing

I hope that you find meeeeee nooooooww

RosaParks
April 21st 2023


858 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

about on par with their other stuff

mkmusic1995
Contributing Reviewer
April 21st 2023


2066 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

Yeah, certainly not their best foot forward

SteakByrnes
April 21st 2023


30478 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

I remember checking one single with cleans and they were bad, idk what happened to him after Lumiere

Tundra
April 21st 2023


9976 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

fair review, it's just more of the same shit from them, except with divisive clean vocal thing this time

Durrzo
April 21st 2023


3459 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

Lazy retreads, poorly executed cleans, and boring breakdowns. It's rough.

bigweinerdon
April 21st 2023


2745 Comments


We lost the Afterimage for this

Durrzo
April 21st 2023


3459 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

Lifeblood still makes that trade worth it imo but it sucks that they seems to be largely out of good ideas already.

Christbait
April 21st 2023


741 Comments


Tiresome, bland, and redundant. Tried it, gave up after 2 songs.

artiswar
April 21st 2023


14927 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

the chorus on Exodus is so fucking lame. who asked for this. these guys need to rebrand or something

pizzamachine
April 21st 2023


27728 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5 | Sound Off

The singing doesn’t fit. Very forgettable album. Great review.

mkmusic1995
Contributing Reviewer
April 21st 2023


2066 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

"these guys need to rebrand or something"



Re-Brand of Sacrifice???



Thanks pizza! :D

Purpl3Spartan
April 22nd 2023


9086 Comments


Why does it seem like people’s singing regresses when their screams improve and vice versa for a lot of vocalists? I’ll admit I can’t scream but I imagine if you were doing both right, one shouldn’t affect the other, right?

Durrzo
April 22nd 2023


3459 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

I think he just doesn't want to use the same style he used in Afterimage for this band because it would be a weird fit so he's experimenting with something different, but unfortunately it sounds like ass.

nash1311
April 22nd 2023


8794 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

Holy snooze fest

pizzamachine
April 22nd 2023


27728 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5 | Sound Off

I know right



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