The Last Ten Seconds of Life are a US deathcore band, this is their fifth album.
I last heard The Last Ten Seconds of Life on their 2016 album The Violent Sound, which was an enjoyable excursion into rowdy metal waters. On their latest album the band have taken a slight step back with their their hybrid sound; it’s still part-deathcore, part nu-metal, part hardcore, and part-alternative metal, but now the deathcore has been re-emphasised much more. The Last Ten Seconds of Life is 53 minutes of slamming breakdown heaviness, but cut with old-school emotive elements that add variety and interest.
The band’s deathcore foundation is enhanced with elements of a few different styles and genres. From the downtempo strain of deathcore to heavy hardcore, (think bands like Born from Pain and Madball), to Korn’s sense of nu-metal dynamics and a Pantera/Alice in Chains-esque feel for emotive accompaniments. Despite this, the core of the band remains a defiant deathcore one, and this new self-titled album finds the band arguably heavier than ever overall. Much of what’s here is clearly designed to get pits moving, and as such is high-energy and crushing. That’s not the only mode of delivery that the band are capable of though, as they also throw in slower and lighter sections to add texture and depth to their brutal assault.
Vocally the singer has an impressive range. His deathcore voices are well-performed, with a range of shouts, screams, growls, and gurgles all convincingly unleashed. Less common for the style though are the clean and semi-clean vocals the show up now and again, sometimes in the background, sometimes in the foreground; either way, the diversity is welcome.
There’s a definite old-school feel to this album, despite its modern veneer. It reminds me of the late 90s/early 00s in tone and style more than it doesn’t, which gives me quite a nostalgic feeling.
The Last Ten Seconds of Life have produced a solid album here. Check it out and see what you think.
Wonderbox Metal 