Cited as one of the heaviest bands on the current Seatttle scene, Black Breath launch into the spotlight with their debut EP Razor to Oblivion on Southern Lord Recordings. Four tunes at just about 15 total minutes in length, this one grabs you by the balls and pummels you senseless without a second to take a breath and grab any relief. Basically a meshing of metal and hardcore styles, Black Breath also have a slight hint of very early death metal in their attack (Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, Obituary, Discharge) and for brief passages almost have the unrelenting manor that early Mastodon brought to the table. While the razor sharp and speedy "Beneath the Crust" is pure punk & hardcore adrenaline, the title track as well as "Fatal Error" just scream extreme metal, and closer "Murder" mixes all those elements with a full-on stoner/classic metal vibe that is pretty damn infectuous.
It's hard to tell just what we can fully expect from Black Breath by a mere 15 minutes of music, but what is on display here is pretty powerful and brutal stuff. Looking at the band, they look more like a collection of stoner metal veterans who grew up on St. Vitus than a bunch of punk & hardcore musicians looking to make their mark on the current metal scene, but regardless of where they came from or who they grew up listening to, Razor to Oblivion certainly signals their arrival.
Track Listing
1) Razor to Oblivion
2) Fatal Error
3) Beneath the Crust
4) Murder