First off I have to say that the cover art of this release is bad ass, it really stands out amongst the sea of boring ass band pictures. Deathcycle has been around for a couple years now, and their live show is one not to be missed. Ron, the lead singer, writhes and contorts himself on the floor of the stage, growling into the microphone like a wounded yet still ferocious animal with long black hair flying everywhere. Most of the material is down tempo Celtic Frost meets New York Hardcore influenced music with snarling political lyrics about Drug Abuse, War, and the hypocrisy of religion. A funny side note is that at the last Arlington Heist fest here in Chicago land, they borrowed a Christian band’s equipment and proceeded to lyrically tear apart religion for profit and the intolerance that Christianity can sometimes promote. (“God- Has enough blood been shed-Are enough innocent dead-Is your appetite for death fed?-As your followers drop bombs and cut off heads, are you proud of what you’ve done?”) One of the dudes in the band is also in Kill Your Idols, which is a highly influential and well liked NYHC band, although Death Cycle sounds nothing like them. These are angry funeral dirges with some fast parts peppered throughout. The downside is that although Ron’s vocals are good, and you can tell he puts a lot of effort into them, after a while his growls begin to grate on you a little bit. Supposedly there’s a decent amount of people who like the first 7inch better over this material. The drum sound could have been a little more prominent in the mix for this album, but this is still a solid release and definitely worth picking up. The record was put out by Lifeline records here in Chicago. You can check them out at www.myspace.com/lifelinerecords

- CHARLIE S