Burst
Prey On Life

THE REVIEW

In today's world, there are plenty of bands that combine metal and American-style hardcore sounds, and the risk of coming across bands that rehash clichés without the slightest originality is not low at all. Burst certainly cannot be categorized into this group, quite the opposite.

Childhood friends and fanatics of the most varied extreme sounds, the five young Swedes, since their debut "Conquest: Writhe", seemed to have well absorbed the teachings of Neurosis & co., adding distinct Scandinavian death influences to the mix. In 2003, the group joined the Relapse roster and released an even more mature and complete album, "Prey On Life", a solid and compact work that ends up multiplying the acclaim already expressed in the past by critics and audience alike. "Svedishcore," this is how the music of Linus Jägerskog and company can be defined, a skillful blend of Scandinavian death metal and overseas hardcore that, in the eleven tracks of "Prey On Life", reaches excellent levels and raises good hopes for the future. A succession of granite-like riffs, samples that further enrich the sound structures crafted by the band, abrupt accelerations and tempo changes that, right from the introductory distortions of "Undoing (Prey On Life)", seem to psychologically prepare the listener for what awaits. However, it is in magnificent pieces like "Rain" and "Visionary" that the band achieves perfection, managing to temper the (sometimes) excessive death frenzy, and delve into the more ambient and atmospheric side of their sound. Truly applause-worthy.

In short, "Prey On Life" is an album that will not disappoint anyone, and, if it doesn't reach total perfection, it is damn close. Kudos to Burst, then, and another success to be recorded for the legendary Relapse label, now a synonym of guarantee and quality in all respects.