Heart of Darkness

Personnel: Scott Ruth, Michael Olender (vocals); John Adubato (guitar); Dave Witte (percussion).
Audio Mixer: Eric Rachel.
Author: Orson Welles.
Grindcore, metalcore, whatever you want to call it, New Jersey's Burnt by the Sun specialize in it -- to the 'nth degree. The quintet's 2009 release, Heart of Darkness, typifies this, as screams, gonzo riffing, and drum bashing abound from start to finish. But when you push the boundaries to the limits like Burnt by the Sun has here, a valid question comes up: how much further can a metal band push it, without it sounding like a big noise bomb? Burnt by the Sun don't seem to care, as they go for sensory overload on such ear drum-piercing ditties as the album-opening "Inner Station," as well as "A Party to the Unsound Method" and "There Will Be Blood." Heart of Darkness serves as an audio clinic of the sound of metal being pushed to the max. ~ Greg Prato