Labels: Southern Lord
Review by: Alex Deller
Has to be said, I’ve been enjoying the ride Black Breath have been taking me on these past few years and this latest stop on the journey is no exception. ‘Slaves Beyond Death’ sees the band expanding their sound without moving too far away from it, the classic Swedish death metal vibes still intact and cross-pollinated with thrashtacular outbursts, occasional whiffs of blackened pomp and an overload of straightforward, hardcore immediacy. Whether you’re aboard or not will largely be decided by the time the breakdown riff to opener ‘Pleasure, Pain, Disease’ swings into play “” a string-bent whopper that’ll either have you punching the air like a goon or shaking your heard in sorry disbelief. Me? I’m the one with the daft grin on his face, sawing the sleeves off his suit jacket and pretending he’s young again.