Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Grave Maker quickly made a name for themselves thanks to a promising demo and a commitment to the road. With the band signing to Think Fast! the band gained the exposure they needed to make the jump to the next level.
Bury Me at Sea is the band's debut full-length. The album packs a mean punch of aggressive modern hardcore with a metallic edge to it. "Time Heals Nothing" and "I Won't Belong" start off with a good one-two punch of fast-moving hardcore. The guitars are crisp and fierce while the rhythm section is filled with energy. Jon McRae's vocals kind of remind of Life of Agony a bit; they're yelled but they've got that harmonic tone to them as well.
"Wreckage" really packs a wallop with a nice breakdown. Rick Jimenez of This is Hell/Soldiers throws in some extra vocals as well. Every hardcore record needs guest spots, obviously. "Comfort in Concrete" features guest vocals from Andrew Neufeld of Comeback Kid/Figure Four fame. I was kind of hoping he'd be using his deeper voice as opposed to the posi-yells of Comeback Kid - bummer. I guess I just miss Figure Four way too much - haha.
Some of the songs do ease back the speed at points and dabble in the progressive Modern Life is War sound, which is unfortunate because Grave Maker is at their best when they push the pace.
On the flipside, you've got the band letting loose and just letting it rip. "Drop the Torch" is a scorcher of a cut, in fact it's probably my favorite song here. Fast, angry, and unrelenting, the way hardcore should be.
In the end, Bury Me at Sea is a solid debut. With the band's persistency to remain on the road, there is no doubt they'll become increasingly more popular. And with the tunes contained here, they'll no doubt be winning over crowds all over the world.
