Black Breath – Heavy Breathing – Review

Release Date: March 30th, 2010
Record Label: Southern Lord Records
Genre: Death Metal

Seattle is known for a lot of things, chaotic hardcore with heavy influences from Swedish death metal, well that might be a first. Black Breath will unleash their debut LP entitled Heavy Breathing due out March 30th on Southern Lord Records. After making a bit of a sonic disturbance with Razor to Oblivion Ep, this full length packs ten tracks that will slice and gnaw on your ears for a straight forty minutes.

From the start the guitars cut in and the circle pit ensues, Black Sin grabs you by the throat and leaves you shaking yet wanting more. Matching speed with grim grooving melodies providing a balance to the unholy choir, so many genres are chopped and blended into the melody that it leaves you wanting to say, “oh that sounds like..oh wait now it sounds like..now they sound like.” Take intelligent guitar riffs, match them with drums that make you want to fight someone, and vocals that are always on the attack, and you have Black Breath. Every track is similar yet oh so different that with each listening you find something new that you like.

While the handful anti-Christianity lyrics do nothing for me, the album is stitched together and ready to dismember upon play. The title track slows down and although instrumental shows what Black Breath brings to the table across the entire album a brooding sense of evil that delivers both lyrically and instrumentally. The album packs plenty of hooks and really needs a listen, with so many styles blended it really can appeal to a wide range of listeners for those into extreme music.

The album is intense with grooving tracks like Virgin Witch to blitzkrieg assaults like Black Sin. I only hope that they continue to progress and continue to cultivate their diversity as a band; because the surface has been scratched with a track here and there heading in a different direction. Heavy Breathing is truly an intriguing album that will tear your face off, than will groove along to ease your pain and you can’t help but enjoy it. ~James Terry

Score: 4.5/5

Track Listing:
1. Black Sin ((Spit On The Cross))
2. Eat The Witch
3. Escape From Death
4. I Am Beyond
5. Virus
6. Heavy Breathing
7. Children Of The Horn
8. Fallen
9. Unholy Virgin
10. WeWhoCannotBeNamed