ASPHYXIUM ZINE

Thursday, May 6, 2021

Full Length Review: Steel Bearing Hand "Slay In Hell" (Carbonized Records) by Corban Skipwith

Band: Steel Bearing Hand
Location: Dallas, Texas
Country: USA
Genre: Death/thrash metal
Full Length: Slay In Hell
Format: Digital, CD, cassette/digital
Release date: April 2, 2021
What’s good everyone, I’m back and it’s ALBUM REVIEW TIME again! I love listening to and discovering new bands and artists all around the world and this band is definitely no exception. SLAY IN HELL by Steel Bearing Hand.
So, this is the latest album by Thrash/Doom metal band Steel Bearing Hand released April 2 this year.
After listening to this record a few things came into my mind. First of all the production and vibe. What we have here is a 90’s blend of early Death Metal (think more towards early Cannibal Corpse, Venom, etc) and modern-day Doom/Sludge metal components all combined into one extraordinary project.
I compare this more to the 90’s era of Death Metal because this album doesn’t feature that prominent heavy bass or extremely distorted instrumentation but more just focusing on technicality and precision above all else.
This album is packed with shredding guitar that could melt your face off if you’re not careful, I would say this is 40% Vocals 60% guitar. Solo’s and riffs can be found around almost every corner and it’s all the better for it.
What’s also prominent is the fantastic use of drums and the complex patents and rhythms that prove just how talented this band really is.
This album features six tracks and with them, their own individual pacing and sonic journey told within the songs, the final track ‘Ensanguined’ which sits at 12:31 seconds is a behemoth of a track, one that reminds me a lot of the final track of the band Nails’ 2016 album ‘You Will Never Be One Of Us’ with the track ‘They Come Crawling Back’ at the beginning of the track I could swear they even share the same chord progressions which were exciting for me to hear.
But just like the Nails song this outro track also provides that same methodical, tortuous aura and arrangements to stun your soul with! It does a fantastic job of building up the tension minute by minute only to have the final few minutes ride on some truly haunting notes and riffs.
For a project that’s only six tracks this album does a marvelous job at portraying the ‘religious apocalyptic’ narrative and the use of the instrumentation and choice of sound and production was great, you really couldn’t ask for a better Thrash/Doom fusion if you tried!
So as always, go support, subscribe, and stream these guys!
Link below to follow them and let’s get them viral!

Lineup:
Wyatt Burton: Vocals, lead guitars
Parker Turney: Guitars
Chris Bonner: Bass
Anthony Vallejo: Drums

Track list:
1. Command of the Infernal Exarch
2. Lich Gate
3. Tombspawn
4. Per Tenebras Ad Lucem
5. 'Til Death and Beyond
6. Ensanguined


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