Book Of Black Earth
The Cold Testament
Prosthetic Records
Summer can suck it. One listen to the third album from these Seattle metallers and you’ll be dragged into the depths of winter, with the days short, the wind howling and the snow stacking up. And it’s not exactly safe in the storm that these boys swirl up either, some of the riffs here sound like they want to pick your bones clean. Uh huh, where so many bands have tried and failed to frost your speakers, ice over your insides, and generally scare you shitless already this year, Book of Black Earth succeed in some style.
It’s all down to a winning mix. The balance of metal riffs, deathly speed, blackened crust and punk attitude is bang on here. There is no fat on these tracks, just a touch of melody and plenty of raw intensity. And the production helps rather than hinders, avoiding shrill highs, monotone thrash and all the other traps so many others in the genre stumble into when looking to get as heavy as possible. Songs like Weight of the World, which could make you headbang in your sleep, the intense Termination, and eerie, epic closer I See Demons are so good in fact that you’ll welcome the punishment over and over again.
Sure, the purists might whine that the band have lost something since their grittier, keyboard-infused early days but the Book boys aren’t listening. Instead they just get on with being bloody terrific and bloody terrifying, proving you don’t need pantomime villainy, white face paint or fake blood to make an impact. Proper good.
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Review by Simon T.Diplock
