The Great Depression

Trigger the Bloodshed is a technical death/deathcore band out of the UK and there 2009 effort "The Great Depression" is one hell of an album. Deathcore is a funny term in the way that many different bands that sound nothing alike are all being labeled as this dreaded subgenre known as deathcore and if you really think about it really is all bullshit. For example under the deathcore banner you have great technical bands like Trigger the Bloodshed, Beneath the Massacre, and believe it or not some even go as far as to call the mighty Faceless a deathcore band. Then on the other hand there are bands that truly should be hated on and ignored like Waking the Cadaver and Bring me the Horizon who suck on a musical level and have nothing in common with other bands being labeled as deathcore. Now I challenge anyone to go and find any similarity between Trigger the Bloodshed and Waking the Cadaver as they are completely different in every way possible yet still get thrown under the same bogus subgenre.

Now with that being said its time to talk about The Great Depression by Trigger the Bloodshed. The sound of The Great depression Is best described as core-laden brutal/technical death metal since the sound is without question more metal than core though it does still contain breakdowns which may be a turn off to the close-minded listener. But in regards to the breakdown I think people need to get over it and look for something else to hate in the music because if breakdowns are good enough for legends like Dying Fetus or Suffocation I think that other people can learn to enjoy them to. I will admit that breakdowns can get a little obnoxious when used in the hands of Bring me the Horizon and Suicide Silence but Trigger the Bloodshed showed on this album how much a properly placed breakdown can add to the music. Good examples of this would be the breakdowns in tracks like "Warbound", "The Dead World", and the title track.

As far as the musicianship on this album goes its absolutely superb and trigger showed every other young band in the death metal scene just how its done. The guitars done by lead guitarist Rob Purnell and rhythm guitarist Martyn Evans are very fast and technical with rhythm work similar to bands such as Necrophagist and Origin and although they are not a very solo-heavy band they do know how to write a good lead (if you don't believe me listen to the lead on the track "the Infliction of Tophet"). Vocals on this album were taken over by Johnny Burgan who in my mind proved to be a better match for Trigger than the previous vocalist Charlie was. Beast like backing vocals are done by the guitarist Rob which really adds to the heaviness of these songs.

Bass duties on this album were taken over by Dave Purnell (lead guitarist Rob Purnells younger brother) and although only seventeen years old proves that his musicianship is up there with the rest of the band. Drumming on this album is once again done by Max Blunos who this time around ditched the drum triggers and proved that the amazing Origin like drumming on Purgation was no drum trigger induced illusion and he could keep up the pace at 250 plus bpm tempos that Trigger plays at. Sadly though shortly after Max parted ways with the guys from Trigger to pursue music that he finds more suitable for him even though it may be in a pop punk band I think you have to respect his decision. However though to look at the bright side Dan from Aborted is doing a great job in his place.

The only thing that kept me from giving this album a perfect score is sometimes the songs do run together and sound the same but after a few listens you accept it. Overall this album kicks ass and it was worth every penny I payed for it so go out and buy a copy and enjoy this great band

What happens when an old Deathcore band shifts away from that genre and actually plays Death Metal? What you get in the case of Trigger the Bloodshed is a very talented Death Metal band. Believe when I say that they did get rid of all their Deathcore influence. Why do I give it such a low score then? Well it is hard for me to explain. They know how to right good songs and they make them flow very well. But the main problem is that the songs are not memorable.

The band members are talented song writers and every song flows together. There are virtually no memorable parts. All I can really remember is the tremolo picking in the first song and the breakdown at the end of the second song. Don’t get me wrong now, this is a solid release and I would say is worth listening to as there still is some good to be heard. But this album is pretty much in the middle of the pack. The fast paced playing of all instruments blends together and makes it pretty much one single song going on throughout the album. One good song, but not one song I want to listen to for 34 minutes.

This is a Technical Death Metal band that dropped all of their Deathcore influence to be recognized by the metal community. I can say gained props from me for doing this, but more work is needed to make more grabs within the music and to make everything not sound like just one song. With the talent of the band surely in the future they can make a release that will please many Death Metal fans. But at this time they are right in the middle of the road.

Originally written for http://www.metalcrypt.com

First of all, let me just clear up a key issue for any death metal purists out there who may be skeptical of this release; fear not, this really is a death metal album. One of the few bands that manage to shake free the shakles of '-core' influence, Trigger The Bloodshed avoid releasing Purgation Mark II: The Deathcore Odyssey and really find their mark with The Great Depression.

The UK underground youngsters have found the formula, then. But bloody hell, do they stick to it. They stick to it so much so that me discussing how songs like The Scourging Impurity, or Contemporary Perception Narcotics, complement the general feel of the album, is an exercise in futility, as they could pretty much be the same song. Permanently stuck in fourth gear and never drifting from the middle lane, The Great Depression, brutal as it is, never really expands upon the boundaries it sets itself from the outset. You want a death metal album? Here is a death metal album. No more, no less. Well, that's fine, but the problem is that it doesn't pose the most interesting listen.

Again, though, the potential is there. Infliction of Tophet is worth pointing out, even if only for its slight differences to the other songs that comprise this 11 track album, and in Dessicate Earth we find... a guitar solo! The general tone of which, it should be noted, reminded me of a Hate Eternal lead, so they at least listen to the right stuff.

The production, however, is a real let down. The drums are positively DROWNED by guitar, which reveals a big chink in the albums armour; sorry guys, but the songwriting is not great. It's efficiently played (even if at times sloppily executed), but the riffs are for the most part pretty uninspiring. Annoyingly, when I listen to the album through the speakers on my laptop, the quality of which is shite, then the drums (which, by the way, are truly phenominal for a kid his age) come clicking through, and you can poperly appreciate the variation in the vocals. Having said that, when the best sound quality comes out of laptop speakers then something is not right...

This is definately a better release that Purgation; no need for splitting hairs, this is a death metal CD. But therefore it must be marked accordingly, and reviewed with consequential perspective. Is this a death metal CD that will stand the test of time? Almost certainly not. Is it worth a listen? If your laptop has speakers, yeah, why not? Don't expect too muxh back, though, as there' still a way to go before any memorable material is on the cards. I am giving them a relatively low mark. But I am giving them a fair bit of kudos; this could have been a lot worse; a core friendly unit shifter void of any musical intention, and that it ain't, so well done for that lads.