Live Burial - Unending Futility (2020) Hi-Res

Death is, by nature, a depressing concept that lends itself well to the slow, sludgy world where the gravely pace of doom metal and the dissonant tonality of the style that bears the subject’s name. Ironically enough, the roots of death metal itself are tied in more directly with the frenetic, agitated character of thrash metal, and most of the sub-genre’s early progenitors were more closely associated with said scene than not. However, even before the close of the 1980s there were indications that certain affiliates of the Florida scene were hinting at something that lived less on impact and more so on atmosphere, with both Obituary and Autopsy spearheading a forerunner niche to what would become death/doom. However, it would be a couple of noteworthy outfits from the smaller and less prominent British death scene that would carve out a stylistically nuanced crossroads where death metal’s thrash and doom proclivities could exist in a sense of twisted harmony.

While the trend of revisiting older death metal sounds has been a fairly popular one over the past decade, Live Burial is onto something a bit less heavily explored of late, and makes themselves distinct from a growing number of bands seeking to channel the classic “Leprosy” style by exploring murkier territory. It may not be wholly original territory, but the sort of early 90s transitional sound of Bolt Thrower and mid-90s thrashing yet measured Benediction niche hybrid on display here is definitely less common. The more drawn out song structure approach is tempered with a tendency towards frequent and usually jarring transitions between extremes, all the while eschewing the moderated death ‘n’ roll sound, resulting in something far more enthralling and climactic. It’s perhaps a bit more of a grower than it is a shower, but it’ll definitely grow on you quickly, not unlike the agents of decay that the lyrics dwell upon with a poetic fervor.