Stating Korn and Slipknot as influences, you might imagine you know what to expect from The Last Ten Seconds Of Life, but the Pennsylvania four-piece might also just surprise you.
The band – who are usually placed in the deathcore genre – have been around since 2010. After self-releasing their last album Machina Non Grata in 2019, they’re back with a sixth studio album this time working with small independent label Unique Leader.
‘The Last Ten Seconds Of Life’ – as an album – is a blend of different styles, a lot of time all showcased in the space of one song. You can certainly hear some elements of those aforementioned influences in certain songs though – vocal delivery in parts of ‘Zapffe Isn’t Invited To The Party’ and the spoken word elements in ‘Birth Of The Butcher’ to name a couple.
Mostly though, it’s the downbeat and the death metal that really shines and comes to the fore throughout the majority of the album. The slams are massive and the breakdowns evil and dirty, strung together with the low-down growls and bassy vocal delivery. At times some of the breaks feel so slow and downbeat that it’s almost dreamy. Re-establishing their deathcore roots with a vengeance across nearly fifty-five minutes of brutality, this is the band at their most heavy.
There’s some lighter moments too, and elements of clean singing. ‘Birth Of The Butcher’ is a particular highlight; when it switches to stirring, uplifting clean vocals it’s almost an emotional moment in a track which reflects on the human condition. There’s some soft arpeggios on guitar at the end too. ‘Vampire (A Blood Ballad)’ is another great one. It really does do what it says on the tin – a softly sang ballad about vampires. It doesn’t stay that way forever though, breaking out into fast paced deathcore.
Some of the transitions throughout the album are beautiful and quite haunting, with tracks such as ‘Altar Of Poison’ and finale ‘Procession’ especially showing off their advanced musicianship. The band are clearly tight as hell and know what they’re doing. It also borrows from classic rock and metal, particularly in some of the guitar solos which have that twiddly fast Zakk Wylde vibe, with the likes of ‘Altar Of Poison’ and ‘Vampire (A Blood Ballad)’ especially looking to appeal to fans of the genre. Nu-metal also get some homage paid. The more electronic driven intro to ‘Hate What You Love’ and the fast-paced (almost rapped) shouted words that follow are a shining example.
Despite the record being a mismatch of sounds in places, the band manage to hold it all together, creating a huge sound and a unique, sophisticated balance of genres that needs a few listens to really appreciate it.