Killface
Faceless
6.3
Yep, you’re reading that right; this band’s name is Killface. Killface is the greatest name for a metal band I have heard since HATEFLEX. With a name like Killface, it is quite obvious that this band is not playing any sort of prancing folk metal or progressive, shoe-gazing doom. No, what Killface has in store on its debut EP, Faceless, is a stripped down form of death metal. Faceless is definitely not a high-minded affair, but neither is it the exercise in artless brutality that a name like Killface might suggest it to be.
Killface describes its sound as death/thrash, and there are a few times on this record when Killface legitimately hauls ass, but on the whole, the pacing on Faceless is slower than the music usually associated with such a descriptor. Faceless features streamlined, predominantly mid-paced tunes that bring to mind Unleashed and Grave (circa Soulless) as well as the groove/thrash hybrid sound of early Machine Head. Killface’s songs are relatively simple, but this seems to be a conscious artistic decision rather than the result of limited talent. Killface lets a little finesse shine through on occasion via some tasteful soloing and some subtle melodic twists to its riffs, hinting at some un-tapped technical prowess. For the most part, though, Faceless survives on lots of low-string chugging and power chords. On one hand, in this age of musical extremity, it is refreshing to hear a band use a little restraint, but on the other hand, Killface tends to squeeze more than the recommended mileage out of its riffs. The three-minute opener, “Dysfunctional,” is a perfect, bite-sized little bruiser, but the EP's three remaining tracks range from five to seven minutes long, and they could all use a few more musical ideas to fill up their running times.
I find Killface’s straight-forward, chunky sound appealing, and that may earn Faceless a few spins at the gym in between Bolt Thrower and Houwitser, but for the average metal fan, this is not essential listening.
