Heaven Falls Bleeding

This Houston-based band are not only very cool guys, but happen to crank out some pretty damn happening tunes as well. This is their first real release, and it makes a good, deep impression--about 6" into your face, that is. Dark, dirty guitars, hammering drums and Lazaro Sanchez' dark, raspy screaming make for a formidable sonic assault, unpretentious and highly effective. I even think that Lazaro takes a step towards capturing some of that wonderfully evil mojo that Csihar Attilla had on "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas", because he has a similar distinctive approach and sound.

"Lucifer's Victorious March" starts things off with a wailing wall of whammy bar noise, pounding war drums, and ominous keyboards and segues into "Merciless Overlord", a whirlwind blast of drums and riffs that is just fast enough. This is one thing I like about this album; they don't play too fast for their own good and therefore their riffs are more powerful for it, unlike most modern death metal bands. FR maintain structure and order in their riffing, making room for guitarist Luis Carlos' wild, chaotic leads and John Ramos' slightly more refined sweeping and shredding approach. Other good tunes on here are "Vehement Christian Behavior" (cool title) and "Blakened Ruins", as well. These guys are frontrunners in the Houston scene and are worth a few bucks on your end, so give 'em a shout!