Upon A Burning Body

For a brief but significant period around 15 years ago, UPON A BURNING BODY appeared to be modern metal's next big deal in waiting. Shrewdly hedging their bets between outright brutality and the snappier, more commercially viable end of the metalcore scene, the Texans brought a certain swagger and unapologetic party vibes to the sometimes-po-faced American metal realm. Unfortunately, the extracurricular antics of frontman Danny Leal eventually threw the band's reputation down the nearest venue toilet. Starting fights with members of GWAR was never a good idea, and the ham-fisted publicity stunt around 2014's "The World Is My Enemy Now", wherein Leal pretended to be the victim of kidnapping, was widely condemned as an act of tasteless stupidity. But aside from the likelihood that the same events would probably not garner quite the same negative reaction today, UPON A BURNING BODY have subsequently salvaged both reputation and career. Both 2019's "Southern Hostility" and 2022's "Fury" were warmly, if not ecstatically, received, and Leal hasn't done anything ridiculous for long enough that even the band's detractors have been gently encouraged to take the band seriously again. Currently operating as an independent concern, UPON A BURNING BODY are no nearer to world domination than they were a decade ago, but at least the metal world has stopped regarding them as dumb bastards.

Perhaps against the odds, "Blood of the Bull" places Leal and his comrades back on the frontline of no-nonsense, 21st century metal. Smartly produced and full of succinct, punchy songs, it continues much of the good work that made "Fury" such a pleasant surprise and even adds a bit of extra heaviness and grit to the band's established formula. As many have noted previously, an unmistakable resemblance to LAMB OF GOD muscly directness has done them plenty of favors and added an extra layer to the timely hybrid of metalcore, deathcore and groove metal that made the band such a routinely feted live band in the first place. With their minds focused as much on live shows as they are on the studio, UPON A BURNING BODY have not lost their party-starting aura, and from "Hand of God"'s opening riff onwards, "Blood of the Bull" sounds like the perfect soundtrack for a mindless, exuberant and moderately violent mosh pit.

In truth, "Hand of God" is one of the least typical songs here: with its loping, grinding rhythm, sinister synths, and Leal's furious vocals, it has a neat, futuristic vibe. Likewise, "Killshot" is all bad attitude, furrowed brows and haughty declarations of imminent clobbering, with a groove that demands a frenzied response, and thuggish beatdowns riffs that make no apologies for leaving people bloodied and breathless. It is that atmosphere of impending chaos that UPON A BURNING BODY return to in this album's most effective moments, the gnarly "Vultures" and the darkly cathartic, nu-metal-tinged "Dragged Through Glass" among them, but being occasionally ruthless and brutal is only part of the story. "Blood of the Bull" is also home to several songs that lean far too heavily into more lightweight territory. "Daywalker" begins with a scowl and plenty of aggression, but its sappy, melodic chorus belongs to a much more palatable song than this. Fans of ICE NINE KILLS and their pop-adjacent ilk will probably love it, but curious observers from more battle-hardened, death metal circles will immediately reach for the off switch. The same is true of closer "Reckless Love", which is half metalcore skirmish, half dewy-eyed cop-out: a pale facsimile of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's fervently melodic metalcore, and one that brings "Blood of the Bull" to a close with a faint aroma of compromise. Similarly, "Another Ghost" offers a bizarre mixture of sledgehammer spite and mellifluous, quasi-progressive sheen, replete with polite, poppy hooks that are more Disney Channel than DESPISED ICON.

None of these criticisms will matter to diehard fans, of course, and UPON A BURNING BODY have never been a band inclined to stick to some generic blueprint. "Blood of the Bull" is intermittently brilliant, but fatally flawed.