ALBUM REVIEW: Jugular - As Birth Becomes Life Becomes Death

JUGULAR (Canada)
"As Birth Becomes Life Becomes Death" (Digital album)
(Independent)
Release date: December 25th 2018
Links:
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JUGULAR is a four-piece band from Barrie, a city in Ontario, and were formed back in 2006, until they went on hiatus in 2011. During this period they recorded and released several demos, and in 2010 their song "Heavy Metal Law" won the award for BEST SONG in the metal category at the Barrie New Music Awards, and this was the band's first song ever to be properly mixed and mastered. Way to go, guys!

In late 2017, the band secretly started working on what was to become their first official release, and the subject of this very review; the EP "As Birth Becomes Life Becomes Death". The title itself could perhaps indicate that this is a black/death metal album with a concept of grand and cosmic proportions, but it's actually quite more "easy-listening" than that.

The EP contains six tracks, and "Revolution Around The Sun" is a great and memorable opener, with its metal hymn like intro, followed by thrashy and grinding riffs that takes me back to any old Metallica album. Jordan Grimbly has a great voice that complements the band well, especially on the really heavy tracks, like on the before mentioned opeing track, as well as the very last one, "Dying To Be Alive".

"Angel Of Darkness" is a mid-tempo song introducing some nice clean guitars, and is not as heavy as the opener, and alongside "The Passenger" it is more hard rock oriented than the rest of the tracks. "And Into Dust" is a catchy little tune; the perfect choice for a single. "There's A Body For The Soul (Unshackled Me)" is even more downtempo than "Angel Of Darkness", and it starts off with a sexy, thick bass that develops into a song that shows the darker side of the band, without straying too far off the path they are on.

JUGULAR has a way of writing short and effective songs. The six tracks that make up their debut EP sound clean and are well produced, and prove that the band are quite comfortable playing melodic hard rock as well as thrash metal.

I want more, guys!

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Tracklist:
1. Revolution Around The Sun
2. Angel Of Darkness
3. And Into Dust
4. There's A Body For The Soul (Unshackled Me)
5. The Passenger
6. Dying To Be Alive

JUGULAR:
- Jordan Grimbly, guitars and vocals
- Bren Pearce, drums
- James Stewart, guitars
- Ben Fuchs, bass