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Living Hell - Oblivion

Rating

RIYL

The Banner
Creatures
Pulling Teeth

Release Date

10/13/2009

Label

Eulogy Recordings

Tracklist

1. Sin of the World
2. Blessed are the Dead
3. Demonic Assault
4. A New Skin for an Old Demon
5. Oblivion
6. 122112
7. Amidst the Wolves
8. Gods Undone
9. Seething Envy
10. Leviathan

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Recent Ratings
Rick Gebhardt	resist sundials
Bill Lohr

Warning: you are about to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into the fiery depths of Lucifer’s haunt where you will be torn to shreds time and again for all eternity by his minions. There is no hope, only terror, pain, and misery. Such is the pervading atmosphere of Living Hell’s latest effort, Oblivion. Taking as many cues from thrash as from hardcore, this New England five-piece have crafted a fine record long on pummeling instrumentation and short on filler. It grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go. Ladies and germs, welcome to Dante’s Inferno, hardcore-style.

The record begins with “Sin of the World,” a number that offers a dirge-like introduction to the journey about to be taken before exploding into a ferocious assault on the senses about midway into the song, followed by some melodic guitar work that sets the stage for the aural onslaught of “Blessed are the Dead.” Tracks such as “Demonic Assault,” “Seething Envy,” and “Amidst the Wolves” are other such gut-shots of demonic rage. Vocalist Craig Mack spits such vitriol that you can’t help but feel as if the hordes of the damned may descend upon you at any moment. It is exactly this sense of impending doom, alienation, and paranoia that drives the disc, both sonically and lyrically.

Living Hell’s main strength lies in the fact that they are able to create an atmosphere with this album, rather than simply bludgeoning the listener with ten redundant tracks. Yes, there are many absolutely vicious moments, but they are made that much more effective by this band’s understanding of dynamics and commitment to creating a coherent album that employs elements of doom and black metal to underscore the more outwardly aggressive moments of the disc. Look no further than the title track and the first half of the sterling “122112” for proof. These atmospherics allow the thrash and hardcore parts of the album, which have been done a thousand times before, to retain their potency.

The one sticking point with this record is its lack of a true personality. There’s nothing about this disc that is instantly recognizable as Living Hell. It is a very solid hardcore record that accomplishes what it sets out to do, but it just doesn’t have enough of an identity to make it stand out in a crowd. This sort of thing has been done better by other bands before, take The Banner for example, but if you’re looking for the sonic embodiment of the Dark One and you enjoy a little bellicosity in your music, then you’ve come to the right place.

--Jake Oliver