I love it when a young and unsigned band absolutely delivers the goods. VIOLENT LIFE VIOLENT DEATH first appeared out of Charlottesville in 2016 with their debut EP "V", delivering 5 tracks of FIGHT RIFFS goodness (see: their FB bio). Now they're back with a vengeance, releasing their second album "Come, Heavy Breath", which is quite a bit longer than "V" weighing in at a whopping 6 songs. Part of me wishes they had gone all the way and released an 8-song full length. But you know what I'm gonna give it to them because ultimately I don't care, shit's hot.

If you're into metalcore with a triumphant KUBLAI KHAN mosh metal inspiration, mixed with a lot of European death metal influence, you're in for a treat. VIOLENT LIFE VIOLENT DEATH is here and they're bringing a fresh and original sound 2k18. And as much as I love djent, it is interesting to hear them manage to stay within the realm of core and death without ever slipping into any sort of solely djent based riffs, even though it would have been super easy to do and that's what's trendy right now (because it's fucking awesome). But they keep it unique, metalcore, and it sounds crisp. That being said, they do bring the djent-esque bassiness extremely well, which really rounds out the sound and keeps it feeling full. I love a nice thundering bass. I don't like thrashy tin can breakdowns as much, personal preference that is objectively correct.

And while it is relatively standard metalcore with those fight riff breakdowns we love so much, the production and songwriting have a lot of depth and maturity to them, the death influence shines through. For a bunch of fat lazy Americans they sure do sound an awful lot like a European band at time.

I pretty much loved every track on the album besides "Rot", which was still a great song, just too punk and pumped up for my taste. I like my slightly slowed down chug, whatever. Every other song brought it for me, with "Backbiter", "Mourn", and "Narcissist" being my choice tracks. "Backbiter" was solid throughout but stood out when it brought one of the grooviest and freshest end riffs I have heard in a while, that shit was incredible. "Mourn" was a shatteringly heavy middle piece that was one of the most unique on the album, and "Narcissist" was an incredible closer, possibly being the heaviest song on the album, but definitely the djangiest and most epic.

This is an amazing album assuming the style is to your taste. VIOLENT LIFE VIOLENT DEATH has put forth a sound and production level, unsigned, that in my opinion earns them a spot in discussion with top bands in the genre. This is going to be on repeat for me, and very likely will be in my top 10 albums of the year. Well done boys.