AFTER THE BURIAL

It is no secret that a number of bands on the Sumerian roster have been largely responsible for the ascendance of the label's status from "just under the radar" to "gold standard for new school tech-metal" (or thereabouts); THE FACELESS, BORN OF OSIRIS, and VEIL OF MAYA, to name three of the biggies. Leaving AFTER THE BURIAL out of that group would be remissive though and new album "In Dreams" is one of the most refreshing tech/death/metal/core (let's just call it "Sumerian Metal") albums to be released in 2010. It offers further explanation as to why fans and critics alike have been paying so much attention to Sumerian Records the last couple of years.

What makes AFTER THE BURIAL's third album — one that outwardly seems to mine territory similar to many of their peers — sound so springtime fresh? Songwriting and identity, baby! In other words, borrowing from the MESHUGGAH School of Time Signature and the UNEARTH Institute for Melodic Death and Thrash Metal doesn't seem so tried and true when AFTER THE BURIAL does it. Better yet, at least as far as some of you are concerned, the boys in the band are adept at maintaining a wholly aggressive, technically-focused stance, while seamlessly incorporating varying levels of melody. Said variation rises to unforgettable levels on "To Carry You Away" and "Promises Kept", both of which utilize surprisingly effective clean vocals (dreamy and falsetto, respectively). The "surprisingly effective" part is all about AFTER THE BURIAL injecting the croon in a way that is not only tasteful, but doesn't smack of formula-based bandwagon jumping. Considering the arrival is smack dab in the middle of Anthony Notarasmo's already supremely violent bark and all those stabbing guitars, might even qualify the event for a next-level impact status otherwise known as shock. Not quite, but you get the idea.

Further belaboring of the point detracts from the bigger story here, which pertains to the preciseness of the AFTER THE BURIAL method on "In Dreams". In a mere 35 minutes, the group dishes up an array of intelligently composed chunk and dynamically delivered groove wrapped around a wisely selective (and MESHUGGAH-esque) basis of rhythmic angularity. At least check out "Encased in Ice" if the opportunity happens to presents itself. It is easily one of the most righteous examples of metallically-altered funk 'n stutter cadence (in a FAITH NO MORE kind of way) and wicked bass tone reverberation I've come across in years. Three words for AFTER THE BURIAL's new platter: Jolly good show.