Brutal Fight
Our Merciful Father
6.2
Not only are these guys a straightedge band, but their agenda doesn’t stop there, as they are also a self-proclaimed Christian hardcore band who make no attempt at being subtle about their beliefs. As if their album title didn’t rub it in your face, Brutal Fight are hardly discreet or metaphoric about their Christianity with blatant bible-hugging lyrics and song titles such as “The Truth Made Known” and “A Martyr’s Cry”.
While preaching and strongly expressed ideals are run of the mill with hardcore bands, it can get annoying with bands who seem to put the music second. In the case of Brutal Fight, the lyrics can get a bit annoying or hard to sing along to for people not so enthusiastic about religion. For those who believe in the Bible closely, however, this may be the most identifiable music ever.
Musically, Brutal Fight play a less conventional, chaotic metalcore style that remains mostly slow-paced throughout. Their trebly, distorted guitar sound and the strained vocals of Tim Martin make them most comparable to Victory Record's nutzos Bloodlet. The band does tend to play fast from time to time and have more of a toughguy sound than Bloodlet, which brings Turmoil to mind as well. Plus the music comes complete with lots of customary, blatant hardcore breakdowns to fuck shit up good in the pit.
The slow pace of the music can cause boredom at times, and for me, it makes listening to all of Our Merciful Father hard to do. More energetic and brutal tracks such as “Falling Away” and “The Anthem” are among the album’s most entertaining and memorable songs, although fans of Bloodlet or Deadguy may find a lot more to their liking.
