How fitting was it that the promo for a band called Snow Burial hit my inbox just as the Northeast was getting snowed under? I do believe that Chicago, which this trio calls home, was largely spared, but I’m sure these dudes are no strangers to the white stuff.
Formerly known as Oxblood, this outfit has a couple EPs under its belt already, but this album would be the first I’ve heard of them. Victory in Ruin starts off with a darker substance, as “Buried in Ash” opens things on a sludgy note, with some winding riffs that recall early Neurosis, complete with a high-pitched vocal that sounds kinda like Phil Cope or that guy from Negative Reaction. “Price to Pay” is faster-paced, an uptempo rumbler with some solid Unsane breakdowns. “Zombie Anthropod Overlords”(!) is a spacey instrumental that sorta sounds like Pelican, while the title track throws some unexpected rapping into a mix that’s equal parts noise rock and nu metal.
OK, so I probably could’ve done without that last one, but still, this record beats getting kicked in the butt with a frozen boot!
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