About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

Death metal with a grind mindset that wouldn’t have sounded out of place in 1991.



Pros

• Grace Perry's deep and bellowing growls.
• Crushing production that compliments the music perfectly.
• Solid guest vocal spots from Jonny Davy (Job For A Cowboy) and Antony Hämäläinen (Nightrage).

Cons

• Another song or two would have added some value.
• Where is the bass?

Description

• Released August 18, 2009 on Prosthetic Records.

• Landmine Marathon’s second album.
• Originally released last year on Level Plane Records.

Guide Review - Landmine Marathon - 'Rusted Eyes Awake'

The re-release of Landmine Marathon’s 2008 sophomore album Rusted Eyes Awake gives a fickle metal crowd another opportunity to divulge in devastating death metal with a grind twist. Largely passed over when it blasted onto store shelves last year, the band signing with Prosthetic Records gains an ability to spread their grotesque message to a wider audience.

Landmine Marathon partakes in delivering a primitive onslaught stripped-down to the hollow bone. There is a slight nod to Obituary and present-day Napalm Death throughout the album, but the band avoids being labeled as copycats or sonically redundant. The songs pack a ton of brutal riffs and quick slabs of death-crust into a compact half-hour running length.

While the band pulls out relentless tracks like “Certain Death” and “Red Days,” featuring vocalist Jonny Davy of Job For A Cowboy fame, there is room for the songwriting to expand.

A doom-ish vibe drives the first half of “Xenocide” and a mid-paced groove sound dominates opener “Bile Towers” and the title track, giving a soft cushion for the aggressive songs to fall back on.

The longer tracks benefit from strong instrumental work, where the band goes beyond static riffs and blast beats to include a melodic touch to the album’s dark vibes. Tasteful guitar leads and drum work heavy on steady fills turn “Skin From Skull” into a breath of fresh, if slightly grimy, air.

With a mindset driven by destruction and vileness, complete with a crushing production reminiscent of the early 90s, Rusted Eyes Awake will be a rude awakening to those who skipped on the band the first time around. Even with a short length and lack of a bass presence, Landmine Marathon’s combination of death metal and grind, with a teeny bit of thrash interjected into the mix, will appease those looking for a contemporary band doing justice to a familiar sound.