Black Breath – “Slaves Beyond Death” [Album Review]

I don’t know why I’m expecting this to be anything other than absolute filth and, yes, as the pummeling “Pleasure, Pain, Disease” drills Slaves Beyond Death into life, it’s clear that Seattle heavyweights Black Breath have no intention of compromising their sound on this slab of slime.

Exactly the kind of release you’d expect from Southern Lord Records, Slaves Beyond Death has an old-school death metal feel about it, the kind which will find favour with fans of bands like Entombed and Carcass. Possessing that rock n’ roll feel to the riffing, Slaves Beyond Death is very much a record you can get into if you like the more groove-orientated death metal made famous by the aforementioned acts.

Of course, it’s still filthy-as-hell as the likes of “Arc Of Violence” and the brilliant “Burning Hate” demonstrate, but the groove death ‘n roll feel just makes the end product easier to digest. “Seeds Of Cain” wails into life with an intro similar to those used by Metallica in their heyday while “A Place Of Insane Cruelty” sees the band ease off the pace in favour of a more grinding, punishing direction.

Unusually, after forty-two minutes of grinding filth, Black Breath end the album with a seven-minute instrumental which, while it is a great end to the release, seems a little overblown and out of place when stuck alongside the rest of the material on this otherwise bludgeoning affair.

Track Listing:

01. Pleasure, Pain, Disease
02. Slaves Beyond Death
03. Reaping Flesh
04. Seed Of Cain
05. Arc Of Violence
06. A Place Of Insane Brutality
07. Burning Hate
08. Chains Of The Afterlife

Run Time: 49:17
Release Date: September 25, 2015

Check out the song “Slaves Beyond Death” here.