Life Cried’s ‘Banished Psalms’ is an abrasive and furious mix of harsh dark electronic and black metal that creates a truly monstrous hybrid of sound. Check out our Review here for more details
‘Another Sacrifice’ bulldozes the senses and attacks with vicious vocals and driving beats before ‘Bloodstained’ grinds the listener down with abusive screams and a militaristic brutal stomp. This stuff blends the violent tones of Dawn Of Ashes with the accessibility of Combichrist. ‘Dressed In Filth’ utilises classical keyboard elements and prominent samples to lull the listener in before slicing the ears with a slow and brooding dark anthem for the damned and the disenchanted. ‘Bound In Hate’ (featuring Nero Bellum) blends glitchy Industrial sounds with hard drums for a headbanger that crosses the genres and boundaries of extreme metal and Industrial rock. The classical opening for ‘Alone’ uses haunting samples to create a chilling prelude for the other-worldy nature of ‘Preacher’ which smacks you in the face like a rusty chainsaw on full blast…it’s gory, and it will only hurt for a second. This is a hellectronic beast that melds bleak ideas with pulsating Industrial beats for a real standout. This is not something you can chill-out to; this is something to get angry with.
While ‘More To Tarnish’ offers softer melodies and less destructive vocals, its haunting melody will still leave a mark on your subconscious. It’s the kind of track that you would never expect to identify with, but you most certainly will. Follow-up ‘Procession, Rigor Mortis’ is a seductive violin and piano driven number that leads effortlessly into ‘Solemn’ for a disturbing five minutes of hard-hitting electro-metal before the thumping dancefloor filler ‘Forbidden’. This will no doubt become a fan-favourite. It’s no-frills, balls-out Industrial-black metal that pummels the senses and only takes prisoners so that it can butcher them. Meanwhile, final track ‘Derelict’ is an attractive mix of coldwave music, classical piano and the usual weird-as-hell samples for a spine-tingling finish to a solid body of work.
While this album does not deviate from the tried-and-tested formula of Life Cried, it will provide fans with a new kind of aural drug. It’s an exciting and brutal kind of Industrial that will please fans of dark-electro and black metal alike.
For Fans Of: Dawn Of Ashes, Psyclon Nine, Prot0type
For more information visit the band’s Myspace.
