Rape, Pillage, and Burn – Songs of Death/Songs of Hell EP (Ibex Moon Records)
Sunday, 17th March 2013
More retro, more tossing it back to the “good ‘ole days.” Rape Pillage Burn manage to churn out a well-executed, albeit workmanlike EP in the form of Songs of Death/Songs of Hell. Hardly an original title, which is fitting – this is hardly original music (intentionally unoriginal, obviously) that is not better than the original. In case you were wondering, the original is classic Swedish death metal.
Taking cues from Entombed, Dismember (who RPB bassist Richard Cabeza used to belong) and Grave, RPB does have a Motorhead/punk angle to their approach, which is evident on opener “Served Cold.” It’s quick and potent and doesn’t mess around, but then again, the riffs and arrangements are right from the Swedish DM playbook. Same bodes for “1911” and “Faith of the Blind” (love the opening riff) two songs that reek of early/modern Dismember to a fault.
Retro death metal of the Swedish variety climaxed with Bloodbath. No band does it better and with more conviction, if you will. Bands like Rape, Pillage and Burn will find themselves having a difficult time swaying people to feel otherwise, in spite of the constituents involved.
(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)
