The hills are alive... with the sound of double bass, chugging guitar, breakdowns, and screams. Indeed, it rings with Deathcore. Though the genre has made waves primarily in the United States, Deathcore has been popping up across the pond in European countries and is starting to become more prominent in foreign areas. One band that has been making its contributions, formed near the beginning of the movement in 2011, is BURIED SIDE. Hailing from Neuchatel, Switzerland, these metallers have been writing, recording, and mastering their own sound, until finally releasing their first full-length album: "Heading to the Light".

"Heading to the Light" is not only a good mark on the European Deathcore scene, but is also independently produced, something impressive for an album of this kind of quality. Though much of Deathcore has a tendency to sound all too similar, BURIED SIDE have taken it upon themselves to try and create their own style of mysticism and melodic journeying intertwined with the trademark brutality and guitar drops found in such a genre. All I have to say is that I haven't heard anything quite like what they've done.

The album begins with an acoustic, melodic intro, sounding Egyptian-esque, in a similar approach to the Death Metal group NILE, utilizing eastern tones and themes in their westernized mode of performance for a blended taste. This intro, "The Great March", builds well, but fades out and kind of stands alone, which, as some of my readers may know, is one of my pet-peeves. This kind of intro is kind of anticlimactic following into the next song and loses momentum. However, this doesn't change the fact that "The Elevation" happens to be my favorite tune on the album, the first actual exposure of the band's full capabilities.

There's a well-balanced mix of the electric guitars and programmed instrumentals, which allow the band to stand as individuals and create a sound that hasn't been entirely explored by other groups. The guitars, by Gaetan Tellenbach and Quentin Seewer, are heavy, brutal, and laced with that djent-chug, but not lacking in technicality, when it comes to some of the riffs and solos. Baptiste Maier is maddeningly fast and punctual on drums with blasting hexi-kicks, all the while supported with an immensely down-tuned bass from Nicolas Py. Finally, Ian Girod on vocals, has great range with some terrifying screeches amidst brutal gutturals, giving himself a lot to work with. My only real concern is that some of his higher screeches can sound a bit stifled and drowning, where they need to be shattering and forceful.

For the most part, the songs vary in melodiousness and grinding guitar, softening with "The Judgement" and "The Divine Traveler", moving on to kick ass with "Ways of Transfiguration" and "Son of Chaos". I thoroughly enjoyed their instrumental, "Out of Times", which grooved and flowed not quite like the rest of the album and really stood on its own as one of the better tracks. Even so, the album does sound very much alike the entire way through, almost like a rather lengthy song. In some cases, this can work well for the band, but on "Heading to the Light", it can get a little dry. BURIED SIDE has given themselves a lot to work with and I'd like to see more experimentation and use of this newfound style all throughout the album.

Overall, "Heading to the Light" is a great first release, especially from an independent group. It hits hard and I found myself headbanging in my chair, which doesn't happen terribly often living in a quiet apartment. There's a lot of potential for BURIED SIDE and all that they have to do is discover it on their road through their musical careers. Experiment, play with the sound, and diversify your albums and you'll find yourself going places you never thought possible!<