Deafening Sound

I'll be the first person to tell you that the whole death metal meets metalcore thing is already really, really, REALLY overplayed, and it hasn't been around all that long. That being said, it takes a lot for a band playing the so called deathcore genre to impress me ("oh...deep throat vocals, death metal riffs and breakdowns...nobody's doing THAT"). Along comes After the Burial, a band blending elements of The Red Chord, The Acacia Strain, maybe a little bit of From A Second Story Window, and their own tinge of originality and heaviness that makes "Forging A Future Self" worth so many repeated listens. This record kicks so much ass, and it's got something for every conscientious metal listener: heavy, face stomping breakdown parts, blastbeats that perforate every track, winding, circular guitar riffs, gutteral, growling vocals, and downtuned guitars.
Songs that stand out to me are "A Steady Decline", with its out of place (but very intelligently thrown in) two-stepping part with a catchy melodic guitar part, and the great balance between being heavy enough to want to slap somebody's mother, and technically sound enough to make you stop and say, 'hey...that was pretty damn good.' and "Forgiving A Future Self", which really showcases the band's musical and vocal versatility. All in all, 'Forging A Future Self' by After the Burial is devastating, catchy, and well worth checking out. Don't let the fact that people are calling them "deathcore" stop you.