It appears that Gravehill are not interested in your approval or opinions so quite why they need mags and zines to do any reviews is beyond me. However being the polite guy I am I will do my job and review said reissue album that contains the bands debut from 2009 plus the “Metal Of Death/Advocation Of Murder And Suicide” EP from 2008. A quick scan at the bands MySpace site and I originally had this band down as being from South America or Australia such is the cheesiness of their image. However they hail from the US and boast one Matt Harvey, under the moniker of Hellfiend, from Exhumed and Dekapitator to name a couple of acts in the list.
First impressions lead me to think immediately that the band is rehashing 80s Germanic and Brazilian thrash. The sound has an old school death metal demo feel similar to bands like Death, Repulsion, Hellhammer, you get the idea now. The opening title track sets the scene for this entire album with tons of leads, a snapping snare sound and rabid vocal rants that border black thrash most of the time, in a way that Quorthorn did on his first couple of albums. “Pissing On Your Grave” has a slower speed but has some excellent changes of pace which could have been more smoothly delivered but are damn good despite this, as the track ends with an Eastwood sample from the “Gran Torino” movie.
Having listened to this I found it very difficult to get into it fully apart from the odd song and riff here and there, as on “By Scourge And Wrath” or “Bloodsoaked”. “One Million Dead And Counting” stands out for being one of the fastest songs and has a huge Hellhammer vibe that is laced with the punk overtones you’d expect. The EP material has a denser more muffled sound which gives them a live feeling I preferred, though the songs are rather similar overall. I really want to say that songs like “Ravager” and “Murder” are as beastlike as their titles suggest but unfortunately they are not and no sooner will I finish this review that they will disappear from my mind.
http://www.myspace.com/gravehill666
