Deathkiller "New England Is Sinking"

With a name like Deathkiller and a couple members' histories in such bands as Hatebreed and Most Precious Blood, I was expecting this band to be some sort of half-serious, tongue-in-cheek side project. But a joke it is not; while New England Is Sinking does harness the energy and in-your-face attitude of hardcore, the record's sound is rooted in crunchy, dissonant, 90s-era post-hardcore and gritty, driving rock 'n roll. Deathkiller struck a swell combination, really, as each concise song packs plenty of textured and varied riffs, a consistent outpouring of straightforward energy, and satisfyingly heavy (though almost never metallic) grooves. The singing is a fitting blend of hoarse singing and throaty screaming, and front man Matt McIntosh usually walks a fine line between the two so, with that in mind, there's energy coming from every angle.

Deathkiller gets the job done with efficiency and taste. New England Is Sinking's 13 songs last less than 30 minutes and, since the energy rarely drops off and it can be quite catchy, the album flies by. I totally neglected to give this one the time of day when I first got it months ago (I did that a lot this past summer, I guess). Don't make the same mistake:

Deathkiller - Idle Worship

You can grab the record from RevHQ here.