The Way Of Purity – Crossover

“The Way Of Purity is inspired by a blind and extremely dark dimension where Christ and Satan, evil and good, are the same” – with a band bio that heretical you’re bound to turn heads.  Which is ironic considering the faceless guttural hardcore five-piece’s instance that their message, rather than image, reigns above all.  Fact is, their “we are nothing but a message” back-story is just as intriguing as any complex fictitious origin.

Now, I could continue developing this counter intuitive theological deconstruction, but as it turns out, the substance behind all the hype really isn’t worth synthesizing into a lengthy dialogue.  Their recent release,Crossover, feels mostly like any other hostile hardcore romp, save for the obvious call to extreme piety and self-sacrifice.  Still, most listeners won’t hear much beyond the blanket, cookie monster vocals – save for the occasional passage detailing some sort of Christian ritual taken to the edge (for example, “eating the flesh” on “Deathwish,” which serves as an obvious Eucharistic reference, appears in a rather unique context).  In fact, for the average listener, The Way Of Purity would have a hard time rising above and defining themselves against the diluted masses of Trustkill Records (now Bullettooth) hardcore.

I find my biggest issue with the band’s blanket pounding.  For the first several tracks The Way Of Purity tries turning out the thickest, most gut churning riffs imaginable.  It’s as if they worked so hard expressing their aggression that they forgot the need to keep their audience’s attention.  Between opener “Anchored To Suffocation” and those like “Burst” and “Loyal Breakdown Of Souls,” such a barrage acts more like an impenetrable wall than a unified message of salvation.  Around “Egoist” the band tries honing their synth skills (demonstrating some industrial know how), and for “Loyal Breakdown Of Souls” they get demonstrate some particularly fierce drumming, but much like an aged sinner repenting on his deathbed, it’s too little too late.  Only on “Pure” does the band truly stray from their norm, when a masked female’s clean vocals break from the mould, providing a hint of depth beyond their initial shock-value synopsis.

The concept of looking for light in dark places brings to mind an atmospheric journey complete with unexpected twists and wild detours.  Unfortunately, Crossover has neither.  While thematically unique amongst most guttural hardcore, The Way Of Purity still struggles at finding a lasting outlet for expressing their zeal.