One of the few perks of writing reviews is that you get stuffed mailed to you all the time. Sure you may not enjoy every single record that you receive, but every once in a while you'll get something new and invigorating. I was previously unaware of this band's existence before the three-piece instrumental outfit's debut album arrived in my mailbox. Despite being on Hawthorne Street Records (Playing Enemy, Deadguy), the band's name led me to expect laden metalcore - mostly because that's all that I seem to get in the mail. To my surprise, You Will Die is the furthest thing from that. Inside the band serves up dynamic rock-n-roll fury mixed with various aspects of punk, metal, and grind.
Before the music begins, the listener is greeted with a sample from the cult-classic horror flick Evil Dead. Not one note of music and I can already tell this band has good taste. And with that introduction, the three-piece kicks into action and instantaneously rocks your freaking socks off. "Memento Mori" is explosive as hell, fusing metal and guitar rock into some of the best instrumental music I have heard in a long long time. I would say a good comparison for the band's sound is Keelhaul, Anodyne, or even the late Black Flag - you know when they went more rock-n-roll as opposed to punk/hardcore.
"Graeme Obree" and "Pudge" further the album along allowing the band members to exhibit their expertise at their instruments; especially evident is the skill of Scoth behind the drumkit. On "Pudge" he moves effortlessly from standard drum beats to blast-beats then into some crazy-ass drumfill only to redo the whole thing backwards and flipped upside-down - phenomenal. For the most part Jason Cavan's bass playing follows the punishing drumming. However there are instances where his talents protrude form the rough mix of the songs - check out "Nasty Ass."
You Will Die demonstrate that they influence reaches beyond the typical metal figures. On the tracks "Crime Boss" and "Perverted Swim Coach," guitarist Errol Katz pieces together some outstanding riffs, many of which brought to mind Led Zeppelin. And when those riffs are combined with Scoth's punishing drums and Cavan's low end fury, the result is not unlike Coalesce's Nothing New Under the Sun.
You Will Die is the surprise album of the year for me. I am totally stoked on this album and hope that I get a chance to witness these guys play live as I'm sure they totally wail. If you think the music world is stale and you're looking for something new I highly recommend purchasing this album.
