Review : LANDMINE MARATHON – “Sovereign Descent”

Landmine Marathon – Sovereign Descent
released March 16, 2010 on Prosthetic Records

Rating : 4 / 5

This Arizona quintet does much to invoke the hybridized death metal/grindcore that spawned from England in the early 1980s. We’re talking bands like Napalm Death, Carcass, Bolt Thrower… not easy acts to follow. On their third album, Landmine Marathon walks a step ahead of the pack.

Sovereign Descent fades in with mid-paced death metal, the band’s most reliable weapon. But they straddle the line with frenetic thrash, shifting between both worlds with ease. Also especially present in “Exist” is the dueling guitar solos between Dylan Thomas and Ryan Butler. If you can imagine yourself as a character on the album cover (illustrated by Dan Seagrave), they sound as if they would arrive as a deus ex machina with a lifeline to lift you from the chaos and destruction. The reason Landmine Marathon crushes like they do is because of how well they interlock and function as a unit.

The recording was also handled by guitarist Butler at his own Arcane Digital Recording Studios. He has also produced brutality by Landmine Marathon in the past, as well as Misery Index, Phobia, The Funeral Pyre and many more. But the album got further polished with Alan Douches’ mastering, who elicits elemental nuances in every project. I am amazed how gorgeously raw vocalist Grace Perry sounds. True, you need a lyric sheet to understand her 95% of the time, but I defy you to locate cracks or strains. If Perry maintains and develops those pipes, she may evolve into a force of nature.

Boycott any review that fails to mention “Steadfast Hate” as utter grueling brilliance. With an execution that would make Obituary proud, it pours on four merciless minutes of grinding sludge before breaking into a furious fist-wield for the remainder. It is the best track here, and destined to be a live favorite.

What I most appreciated, though, was Sovereign Descent‘s listenability. Even though tracks like “Foul Revolt” and “Cruel Policy” are not exemplary, they function better within the generated grooves, controlling the ebb and flow to achieve their desired effect. The solos are more understated, but arrive logically as the songs transition. As a whole, it is interesting but not revolutionary. While far from landmark status in the annals of Metal history, Landmine Marathon succeeds in their own right as a promising young band that proudly sports the death/grind badge.

FCC OK
Try 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9

01. Exist
02. Shadows Fed to Tyrants
03. Foul Revolt
04. Cruel Policy
05. Justify the Suffering
06. Steadfast Hate
07. Chained by the Same Fate
08. Flood the Earth
09. Rise with the Tide