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Band: Forgotten Tomb
Album title: Hurt Yourself And The Ones You Love
Release date: 17 April 2015
Label: Agonia Records
Tracklist:
01. Soulless Upheaval
02. King Of The Undesirables
03. Bad Dreams Come True
04. Hurt Yourself And The Ones You Love
05. Mislead The Snakes
06. Dread The Sundown
07. Swallow The Void
Forgotten tomb, the name which is not to be mixed up for its sound. The band has always done what they always saw fit to their work and I truly admire that. Lately there hasn't been much of extreme surprises in record wise and also this one counts in. The new material of the Italian combo is very different from what this band used to play in their beginnings, even if it still possesses the same lyrical themes, the bands sound has changed a lot over the years, especially from 2003's Springtime Depression which I still to this day hold as a classic in my eyes, with those dark depressive melodies that really makes your soul to weep. The gloomy atmosphere is still left in their new material, even if it’s a bit faster and more brutal. The new record blends elements of doom and black metal into one big party and at some points it goes into typical death metal.
Heavy riffs along the way that holds a barrier of feelings. The songs are catchy and in so many ways it's hard to not just listen and enjoy. The drums are often angry, fast and not that slow at all how I may have expected from them, but nevertheless it's good powerful sound. The guitar tone is very modern, not so dirty at all, in fact the whole production is very clean and punchy sounding. Mostly the guitars are tuned down, the vocals are screaming and furious, very impressive, yet they are clear in the sound. I do think with this sound they would appeal to more people in the death metal scene, but then again there are hints of their previous works, so it's not that strange to hear this, some songs are quite obviously more doomy and my favorite so far is the opener "Soulless Upheaval" for its clearly black metal feel and the structure of the song.
As we dive deeper into the songs we hear much more of their old style but with a more modern edge to it which is good, but I do kinda miss the old Springtime sound... Still I'm not the one who would bother about a bands natural change. In fact I enjoy this record as much as if it would have been their first work. I admit I haven't listened that much to Forgotten Tomb in the last years but it's always nice to hear their new stuff and see how things develop. I find it a bit strange to write a review over a cup of coffee surrounded by flesh, yet I don't mind the isolation of solitude that this new record brings.
As we move along to the near bitter end, a string of slow melodies appears. I haven't expected that but it's a nice change of phase. Like of a sudden those really slow sorrowful guitars are back just like in Springtime Depression. To sum up this record is as always a challenge to me and I would say it's unfair sometimes to rate a record because I truly enjoy them all for different reasons, but still a person can miss something that maybe is not that obvious in the music anymore. But I can still feel that this album did please my hunger and indeed gives a craving for more. So let's see what they are up to next and for now I can only say that Hurt Yourself And The Ones You Love is definitely worth a listen. Still not quite good as their masterpiece Springtime Depression, but hey it's just me!
Review written by: Oliver
Rating: 6,5/10
Disclaimer: This is a guest review and it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the Terra Relicta staff.
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