Bury Your Dead

Beauty and the Breakdown, from 2006, was an exceptionally well-produced, tight and memorable record, establishing the group as a force to be reckoned with outside the tough guy niche. Their latest sees the group polishing and refining their sound further in ways that will impress some and disappoint others. New vocalist Myke Terry (formerly of Cassius) adds clean vocals to the mix somewhat successfully, although their frequency definitely dilutes the aggression to an extent. That being said, the mosh is still brought consistently, and these songs will no doubt prove successful in a live setting. Drummer Mark Castillo remains the highlight of the show, keeping it no-frills and precise while occasionally breaking out jaw-dropping fills and transitional patterns. As the spring approaches, many will be looking for an accessible, hook-based metalcore record like this. They would do well to give something this professionally rendered a shot.