A metalcore alike to Rwake at times, mixing the tonalities and production of sludge with the speed and melodic sensibilities of your early Mastodons, your Keelhauls, and fuck, let's toss in the vocal style and general aesthetic of your Neurosis' and your Isis'. Breathe Fire is a satisfying and propulsive experience. The band is great at crafting a single, unified narrative out of the songs and riffs on the record, and it's a narrative that consistently entertains. I'm a sucker for it: the catchy heavy-ass riffs and the leads delicately melodic at times, but always very tastefully distorted. It's just a good thing then that aside from being the kind of music I like, it's also good music.

Throughout all of Breathe Fire is a manic energy, propelled primarily by the drumming. Following a close second are the guitar parts, which have a surprising (and refreshing) amount of melody to their angular dissonance. What also works is layering their songs with competing guitar parts. While the music is abrasive and forward-moving, it�s not a one-dimensional wall off riffs and attitude. What that adds up to is music that�s more than just thrashing out blindly. Raise the Red Lantern� Breathe Fire is one of those albums that keeps drawing you in. I really dug its mix of pounding rhythms and subtle melody. For fans of Akimbo, Unsane, Black Flag, Mastodon, Jumbo's Killcrane, and Rwake.

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