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BUTCHER BABIES
Goliath

Century Media (2013)
Rating: 8.5/10

Butcher Babies have been milling around for the last couple of years, gaining momentum from the mere fact that they have two gorgeous women fronting their seemingly horror metal band. Poorly shot cell phone video clips of Pantera covers, nipple-gated breasts, and blood-soaked knife-ro-phones have been making appearances online and with each one I felt less and less inclined to give this a listen.

When the Los Angeles-based band’s promo clip for their Century Media debut full-length album hit though, they sounded like a band possessed and it, admittedly, garnered my interest.

Butcher Babies kick off Goliath with the destructive ‘I Smell A Massacre’ that is equal parts crush and melody. It revolves around a chaotic element that is hard to pin down. What is good, heavy, Pantera worship though becomes much more interesting when the Babies let the melodic vocals soar. In a way they open up a big space, allowing the crowd to become a part of the song. They do this a number of times throughout the album but it never works better than on this opening tune.

‘Magnolia Blvd.’ is a bit less chaotic, adding a more commercial element that reminds me a good bit of In This Moment’s Beautiful Tragedy album (2007). The guitars here reveal Henry Flury’s history, as it would be easy to imagine this song on an Amen album.

The same goes for the title track and ‘Give Me Reason’. The former maintains a furious punk verse before blistering itself on the heavy, southern bounce that Pantera made famous, while the latter is leashed and led along by its guitar riff. It’s not the most interesting or heaviest song on the album but it’s got that huge “Fuck you!” attitude that reminds me so much of Amen.

‘In Denial’ is one of my favourite tracks on the album, delivering a heaviness that makes the band worthy of the Century Media logo. The double-bass and intricate lead guitar work-led breaks have a melodic death metal flare that would make the guys from Gardenian smile.

‘The Mirror Never Lies’ is another highlight, with a bouncy kind of guitar that shows some late years Faith No More influence before bursting into a screaming fit of rage. It’s the doubled-up female vocals coupled with the spiraling guitar riffs, though, that make it more dynamic than the others however. This song, much more than the others, showcases the band’s superb musicianship.

Much to my surprise, Goliath is exactly what it claims to be. This is a huge, heavy, melodically-tinged beast that won’t be satiated by being relegated to the Hot Topic crowd. Goliath is a great album and a great surprise to those who love heavy music. If you were like me and were expecting a bunch of commercially-created drivel fueled by fake tits and angry mall kids, then you owe it to yourself to pick up Goliath. Butcher Babies are the real deal.

Mark Fisher

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