Pulling Teeth "Martyr Immortal"

Plain and simply, Martyr Immortal is awesome. I should have said that back when I was drooling over Shipwreck A.D.'s Abyss, as both albums were released via Deathwish Inc. on the same date. I'm late, but this record still rules.

Featuring shot after shot of super-intense, hard-hitting and thrash-y metallic hardcore, Martyr Immortal generally picks up where Pulling Teeth's 2006 effort, Vicious Skin, left off. It's really straightforward, with fast, driving tempos, meaty chord progressions and chunky grooves forming the bulk of the material, but the band doesn't fail to differentiate themselves from the crowd. Singer Mike's nasty, blood vessel-popping shouts are quickly recognizable, brisk guitar leads add occasional moments of flashiness, and thrash riffs and drumming contribute to an urgent crossover sound that usually doesn't come out sounding this seasoned. While I stress the brevity and straightforward nature of Martyr Immortal, Pulling Teeth does a lot of little things -- and always in good, moderated taste -- to enhance and accent their already bulletproof songs. It's safe to say these guys know their stuff, as everything gels without ever sounding forced.

Surprisingly, the second half of Martyr Immortal is packed with rather experimental songs. After eight one- or two-minute blasts, "Martyr Immortal/Mori Vincent Omnes" and "Black Skies" open up to a more diverse range of influences and tempos, and there's certainly a dark, gritty, instrumental slant to them. "Dismissed in Time" lasts more than seven minutes, but it's actually a powerful closer, despite consisting of ominous spoken vocals, samples, effects and melancholic strings.

Martyr Immortal finds a sweet middle ground between hardcore, punk rock and metal that's crushing, intense and diverse; never stereotypical or cheesy. Awesome stuff; if I could do it over again, I hardly doubt that this would be on (not just an honorable mention, that is) my top 10 of 2007 list.

Pulling Teeth - Dead Is Dead
Pulling Teeth - Black Skies

I'd lean toward buying this one.