Band's List Death Grind Sulaco Build and Burn

Sulaco has the honour of being the first band to have a release under Handshake Inc.'s music record label, with their second full length album, Build and Burn. The psychedelic, hand-drawn album artwork somehow puts a sense of unease in the listener looking at it, with the number of weird, distorted faces staring out with almost mocking looks on them, and this feels more like a psychedelic band rather than a death/grind one that features Brutal Truth guitarist Eric Burke, but this gives an interesting first impression even before the first notes of the album are played.

And fittingly so, as the first riffs of the album on On the Fence bludgeons the eardrums of the listener with riffs that are reminiscent of tech-death legends Demilich, only unleashed with a highly-distorted, grindcore guitar tone. Eric's vocals lean more towards a hardcore-styled shout, and the raw emotions and energy of his vocals are certainly suitable and complement the equally aggressive music produced by the rest of the band. The technicality in the music are also sure to impress and capture the attention of fans of technical death metal, with the odd time signatures utilised and the constant shifting of pace and tempo in the music, only with a touch of grindcore included, enabling Sulaco to capture as large a fanbase as possible.

Drummer Chris Golding's performance is stellar as he manages to keep the pace and shifts between time signatures with ease, without missing a single beat at all, and there are times where it sounds almost as if he were the one commanding and directing the pace of the band rather than just maintaining a passive role in rhythm-keeping. Bassist Lon also keeps up with the rest of the band, including quirky sections at the background if not providing the lower rumbling that gives the music such a full sound, and this is prominent especially on The Approach with the heavy presence.

The seeming lack of guitar solos do no harm to the music as well (as if the progressive shifts in the rhythm were not sufficient)! There are moments when the emotions of the band peak, and this is evident with the sudden change in melody and mood (like a woman with PMS), such as on title track Build and Burn and It's Over Johnny, where there is a shift from melodious, emotional sections to aggressive, chugging and pinch-harmonics-filled chaos. On It's Over Johnny, there are even times when the music almost remind listeners of a modern take of Black Sabbath, with the tunes towards the end of the track sounding like an emotional rendition of War Pigs Such moments also potentially bring down the enjoyment for those expecting just a full-out, non-stop 30 minutes of mosh-fest, as they tend to remind listeners of the overused emotional passages that metalcore bands love to use. Fortunately though, Sulaco redeems themselves with the excessive indulgence in energetic moments, and more often than not, listeners are left headbanging their asses (or heads) off. With It's Over Johnny, the entire assault on the senses ended just as quickly and suddenly as it started.

Having Sulaco's Build and Burn as Handshake Inc.'s first album on its catalogue certainly bodes well for the label, with the high energy, high quality music that has been presented, and it is easy to see why the label has chosen the album as well. Build and Burn, with the perfect balance of technicality and just sheer brutality, is definitely one album that would capture the attention of extreme metalheads with ease.