Upon Your Grave – “Eponym” [Album Review]

This album has been knocking around the underground circuit for over a year now yet is only just coming to my attention. This comes as a complete a surprise because when I got a blast from the vocals of frontman Jordan Jolicoeur, I was amazed I haven’t been able to hear him all the way from Quebec.

To say the guy has a voice on him is something of an understatement, but it’s also one of the sticking points to this album. While there is no denying his guttural, bowel-rumbling low roars are certainly in tune with the metallic death metal Upon Your Grave peddle, his harsh, high-pitched screams are something that has certainly split opinion. Putting Dani Filth to shame, it makes listening to the likes of “Poisoning” quite hard work. It’s all a pity that they really do dominate the sound because, on the likes of “Life Simulator,” when the vocals rein it in to a more palatable level, Eponym is quite a promising offering.

If you can stomach the screams then you’ll find yourself listening to an album from a band who pack plenty of punch. The songs are full of beef, easy to get into, and work well for loosening those neck muscles. Whether this album wins or loses though, rests simply on how much of an assault your eardrums can take.

Track Listing:

01. Crooked
02. Poisoning
03. Vicious
04. Tune
05. Cleansing Machine
06. Not Enough
07. Allowed
08. My Obsession
09. Life Simulator
10. Death’s The Only Beginning

Run Time: 42:33
Release Date: November 28, 2013

Check out the song “Poisoning”