Death Metal is a top heavy genre. There’s a lot of good bands out there and a lot of acts just doing average copies of the decent bands. As with any genre there are bands that take the best ideas and then intelligently craft something that is their own. Lago from Phoenix, Arizona take this approach with “Sea of Duress”.
Lago have been going for nearly a decade and this clearly shows in the song writing. It’s easy in various forms of extreme metal for bands to get tightly pigeonholed into a particular sound, yet Lago refuse to take this approach. I have critiques of the album but overall I’m willing to support any band that wants to push their musical boundaries. As well as the Death Metal angle there’s some good old school metal riffing.
Sometimes the guitars are a bit too clean and I was wanting it to become a heavier sound but the overall effect is excellent. Atmospheric, Technical Death Metal that isn’t afraid to venture into more thoughtful progressive layers. The vocals are excellent. There’s a great contrast between melody and brutality. I’d imagine the heaviness would come out even more in a live set.
The release certainly builds as it progresses. My favourite track is probably “Effigy”. For me this number harnesses the darkness inherent in their sound and spits it out in just over 6 minutes of controlled brutality. Lago will be on the scene for a long time to come, of that you can be assured.
Rating: 4/5
Find this one right here:
https://uniqueleaderrecords.bandcamp.com/album/sea-of-duress
The Metal Wanderlust 