Missouri based Gravehuffer have released their song "Sights To the Sky" via Blessed Altar Zine. I took a listen to the song and I gotta say… it takes a lot to impress me in this genre. I love metal and will continue to do so till the day I die. However, I even have to admit that (as a critic) I’ve heard my fair share of metal bands retredding the same ground as their influences. Many people wishing to get into the genre as musicians but not having a clue as to who they should be or who they want to be. As a result, they wind up sounding like everybody else and makes me question why I should even bother given them the recommendation. Not that they’re bad, but if they’re not doing anything to stand out, why should I recommend THEM over the older and clearly more original work they’re ripping? Gravehuffer, thankfully, doesn’t do that. “Sights To The Sky” alone is enough for me to believe that these guys not only know what they’re doing, but know who they are as a group.
With clear influences in Sludge, Grind, Thrash and even a bit of post, they meshed everything together into one somewhat coherent sound. Okay, yeah you can still see where the stitch lines are, but I’ve heard these Frankenstein Monster bands do a WAY worse job. Besides, it’s not like combing genres like that is at all easy. Have you ever tried getting a TV to work by plugging it into your car battery? Exactly. Still, these guys are doing a pretty good job with this song. The track is from their upcoming release NecroEclosion which will be released via Black Doomba Records tomorrow (Jan. 15). Check out the song on Blessed Altar Zine here.
Pre-Order for NecroEclosion can be found here.
Tracklist:
Custom of the Sea
Hellhound
Sights to the Sky
Death Before Disco
Stingray
Smaller Than Death
Ghost Dance
Quarantine Death Machine
Causes
Backpack
Mad Wolf
Gravehuffer is:
Travis McKenzie - vocals
Ritchie Randall - guitar/vocals
Mike Jilge - bass
Jay Willis - drums/vocals
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