Release Date: 13/08/13.
Clocking in at just over twelve minutes, Bent Life’s new E.P. hits you like a spiked bat to the face, pummels you mercilessly, then politely takes 3 Dollars from your wallet and invites you to go again.
The Five piece from Lincoln, Nebraska have precisely concocted a heady cocktail of Sick Of It All’s spite and Sepultura’s early, thrashier moments to create an aggressive E.P. that stands up easily next to contemporaries like Back Track and Bitter Thoughts.
The title track explodes into life with singer Andy Voorhees ( whose name couldn’t be tougher or more hXc ) screaming;“You wore me down for long enough”. Lyrically it doesn’t get much more optimistic from there.
‘Bricks’ starts sludgy and mean, then keeps winding up until about the three minute mark where if you’re not head nodding and mean mugging as the last riff kicks in; you may need to go get the One Direction cleaned out of your ears.
‘Ill Intent/Cut The Rope’ and ‘Drag’ keep things pumping; with the second half of ‘Full Skull’ adding a more riff heavy, clearly defined structure to the songs without compromising the aggression and vigour coursing throughout.
The production is raw, but fitting. The drum sound is especially sailent; with the cymbals sounding crisp and loose, perfectly offsetting the grimy guitar tones and giving this cathartic burst of songs a clean feel, despite at times feeling like you’re audibly knee deep in mud due to the claustrophobic nature of their drudging tones.
If Bent Life progress musically and keep playing to their strengths by writing concise, urgent songs like these, they could easily establish themselves within an over-proliferated scene. In the meantime, they’ll be providing the perfect soundtrack for people to lose their shoes to in dimly lit rooms.
8/10
