Bread Buttered On Both Sides is the new release from Russian melodic death metal band Exhumation and for an EP, it’s indeed a substantial release.
Opener Threshold gets you in the mood with a strong introduction that builds the track up before the vocals kick in, and the track continues strongly from there with good chunky-sounding instrumentation and a fantastic guitar solo in the middle, but following track Blood Thirst loses a little of the momentum that had been gathering in the previous track, and as it largely follows the same format as Threshold, it doesn’t perhaps make the impression it should.
However, when third track An Easy Mask gets going, things pick up tremendously and it packs a real punch, with some insanely catchy and technical instrumentation that’s destined to get stuck in your head. There’s this massive driving force behind the song from the drums and a vast amount of energy to boot, which can only be a good thing. Winding things up with Windwalker, which had previously been released as an internet single, it’s a satisfying closer to the EP and ends it on a high, with soaring guitars and fantastically meaty vocals.
Bread Buttered On Both Sides is an all-round good release and showcases exactly what Exhumation is capable of – i.e., creating excellent music you can’t help but want to headbang along to!
7/10
