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WHITE HOUSE BURNING
I Am Hatred

Self-released (2015)
Rating: 8/10

Since their birth in March 2013, US metallers White House Burning have released seven singles, all of which appear on this debut opus. The band – a trio – consists of Damon Christopher (vocals / guitars), Mike Mazylewski (bass) and Dean Clark (drums).

White House Burning hail from Chicago, Illinois and play a powerful, politically edged brand of heavy metal which delivers a strong message lyrically as the band speaks of racial tension, murder, political lies, and what seems to be genuine angst. And thankfully such bruising topics are matched by the music; particularly Christopher’s grizzled tone which is complemented by his own fretwork, Clark’s battering drums and Mazylewski’s heated bass-lines.

This is very much no frills muscular metal, but a sound that can exist on its power and brevity alone. Album opener ‘Dead Man’s Son’ immediately showcases the fantastic percussive talents of Clark who is an absolute animal on the skins, clanking and clattering his way through this mid-paced clunker which is reinforced by Christopher’s gnarly rasp. “I was broken… another fucked up bastard child”, the frontman bemoans, his riffs chugging with menace.

This opening track pretty much sets the tone for the rest of this opus, the unit streetwise in its savviness as it leads us into the jabbing intensity of ‘American Christ’ with its thrashy outbursts and fizzing riffs. For me, White House Burning are very much of the mid-to-late 80s metal trend, but they sound as if they’ve actually been dredged from that time rather than merely paying homage. “I’m an American Christ, a sadistic whore”, yelps Christopher; again, there’s that waterfall of powerhouse drumming, but also an engaging melodic mid-section featuring a deft solo.

White House Burning are clearly very comfortable expressing subtlety and variation, particularly with the bass-playing prowess of Mazylewski on the simmering ‘Your Pain’. The track builds in an engaging manner as the guitars trickle to Christopher’s heartfelt cries as he ominously demands “I want to cut you, and watch you bleed for me” in convincing fashion.

At times, White House Burning’s bruising style of metal reminds me of the likes of 80s cult acts such as Meliah Rage; a band who remained under the radar of many and yet supplied powerful metal with thrash tinges in equal measure.

I Am Hatred is a very good debut opus boasting 11 solid tracks, all delivered with sincerity and bravado. ‘Race War’ is a speedy message featuring a hammering drum and clever lyrics, while ‘White House Burning’ features a killer traditional metal melody soaked up by that blunderbuss bass – the overall feel being one so epic and oaken that you’re likely to feel as though you’ve been transported back to that halcyon era of denim jackets and patches. However, the message within the lyrics on the latter is very clear as Christopher barks, “Fuck all the lies, Everyone dies, No one can teach us who we are. Cut us all loose and kill all the suits, I’ll take the fall I am your scar”.

There’s no messin’ around from White House Burning, the threesome more than capable of churning out gritty metal which culminates in the powerful slams of the title track – a tour de force of a tune which adds an extra thrash ingredient to proceedings, although there is also a punky vibe, mainly with that trundling bass.

And so, the album comes to a close and leaves me content in the knowing that old school bands of this ilk can still exist, and compete without the need for glitz and gloss.

Neil Arnold

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