Review Summary: Not quite The Chariot, but close enough to satisfy the craving.
Pipe Bomb is a one man project (for now) spearheaded by Plead the Widow’s Cause bassist Mitchell Layton. Wearing his influences proudly,
Hell Hole draws inspiration from chaotic metalcore standbys such as Norma Jean and The Chariot, rarely letting you catch your breath over its scant 24 minute runtime. Chunky riffs abound, starting off the album with “Under God’s Heel”, where sludgey guitars lead into a defiant warcry and Layton screaming “
No love, no mercy, under God’s heel” a reference to Satan’s demise in Genesis 3:15. Christcore detractors need not inquire within, as the lyricism and subject matter skew heavily toward spiritual matters, but for the interested and even perhaps the ambivalent there is enough meat on the bone to chew on regardless of which side of the fence you find yourself. Layton dives into a multitude of topics, from “Choke” dealing with false teachers in the church, to the aptly named “I Will Kill the Worst Parts of Myself” where he longs to bury his self-defeating tendencies, to “Tabloid” criticizing the celebrity rat race. Brevity is the name of the game, however, so you better chew quickly. With several tracks coming in under the 2 minute mark, rest stops are few and far between, usually only a moment before launching back into the frenzy. The title track provides such a break, which leads in with droning, dissonant guitar work and some decidedly Nu-Metal flavored spoken vocals and bouncy riffing.
Pipe Bomb, true to its name has made quite a splash in a short time, garnering a solid following on social media and getting some streaming traction. With Layton filling out a full band for some live shows it will be interesting to see if they remain that way, or if he stays as the only official writing member. They will definitely be on my radar going forward.
