Bullethole
Incarceration
6.2
Ok, so here is a new band that mixes chug-heavy hardcore like Hatebreed with real (80's) thrash, and does a pretty good job of it. Want to guess where they're from? No, not the US, but Greece of all places. Incarceration is a short album, but there's an ample amount of metal crammed within, and for once, no Gothenburg in a metalcore album. Vocally, Costas sounds decidely un-Greek, barking, at times, like Barney of Napalm Death but with a more varied delivery. There's also some heavy nu-metal (Soulfly, Ill Nino) influence that leaks into his delivery, But it's the guitarwork of Andreas that distinguishes this band from the metalcore hordes. Underlying the overt hardcore sound is a firm foundation of groove-laden, solid American thrash. For the most part, the rhythm section does just that, backs up the sound, but in a few spots, like at the end of "Now I Know", they let Leyteris go crazy on the kit. The production is does the drums justice, but the rhythm riffs get a bit smothered. All in all, it's a loud, almost-live type mix job.
As you can tell, I like the hard-hitting sound they're producing, but the songwriting isn't quite as strong. The adequate opener, Twist the Knife, clearly shows that they are fans of the Hatebreed/Sworn Enemy brand of heavy core. (But at least they're not ripping off the Pantera - Domination riff!) This is the most blatantly hardcore song on the album. "Liar" is a short and aggressive little song that's all about mid-paced groove. On the other hand, "Moment of Hate" is just pure fucking thrash, similar to how Sepultura used to play it waaay back when. Where they do break out the thrash, they keep it pretty simple. No 59-riff Dark Angel songs here.
Bullethole is another one of those bands that play good metal in a time where there are hundreds of bands playing good metal. While their style is a little different than what we've been hearing lately, the album itself isn't outstanding enough to propel them above the masses of metal. Incarceration is a pretty fun listen though.
