Through the Eyes of the Dead "Malice"

I'm not too familiar with Through the Eyes of the Dead's back catalog, which consists of an EP, a split and a full length that didn't do much for me, but I can already tell that I care a lot more about their latest outpouring of death metal and metalcore, Malice. Instead of being a really moving or touching record, it's a friggin' relentless and precisely executed storm of thrashy and technical guitar riffs, speedy and seriously double bass-obsessed drumming, and intimidatingly forceful screams. Singer Nate Johnson -- you might know him from his stints in Premonitions of War and the short-lived Deadwater Drowning -- is the band's newest member, and probably one of the record's saving graces. He's all balls, bringing actual enthusiasm and rage to a genre that, in my mind, tends to lack vocal character.

While it's the fast, metallic finesse that characterizes Malice, there's no shortage of straightforward, chunky death metal and pit-friendly breakdowns -- most people will be quick to chalk this one up as "deathcore." "Welcome to the Wasteland" is an especially brutal track, often killing the speed in favor of mid-paced tempos and crunchy, chug-oriented riffs. It's simpler, but no less effective; Through the Eyes of the Dead brings the intensity whether they're playing fast or (relatively) slow.

With traces of guitar melody scattered throughout the record, Malice is, in the end, a pretty lean and skillfully written cross between straight death metal and metalcore. It isn't a life changer and the purists, well... They'll hate it. But a purist I am not.

Feel that double bass: Through the Eyes of the Dead - Welcome to the Wasteland

Snag this one from Smartpunk.