Grave Maker – Bury My At Sea

Sandwiched somewhere between the absolutely ferocious metal/hardcore leanings of that one and only Fighting Dogs full-length and the gutwrenching dirges of Modern Life Is War’s Witness LP, Grave Maker sounds convincingly and absolutely pissed. They’re not quite as adventurous as the former band and don’t quite hit the same emotional resonance as the latter, but there’s no denying that this shit’s got some serious power behind it.

I got one of those lame “promotional only” releases that contain nothing but a blurb on the inside booklet – so I’ve got no idea if Bury Me At Sea truly does “seethe with energy while grappling with issues of personal loss and betrayal”, at least lyrically, but again, the music definitely provides some soaring, pummeling backdrops for the vocalist’s throat-rending. Unfortunately, this is a genre that’s almost always benefited from a lyric sheet, and Bury Me At Sea is no exception. This few bits I heard – “Go piss up a rope, you fucking crook” and what may have been “Thirty seconds of life for two centuries of regret” – coupled with the song titles (“Comfort In Concrete”, “The Boatman”) lead me to believe that they’re at least moderately intelligent and, who knows, may actually and indeed tackle issues of personal loss and betrayal. Still, that’s mostly a guess on my part.

All in all, this one’s a fine effort and Grave Maker’s obviously got a lot going for them: instrumental proficiency, good songwriting, a vocalist that doesn’t sound cartoonish and manages to come across as convincing. It’s mean, it’s serious, and it’s a debut record that doesn’t try to be more than it is: this is hardcore, folks – Grave Maker’s here to play eleven reasonably punishing songs in under half an hour and then get the fuck out. Quite the attack.