Reviewed by Christian Cunningham

Listening to some bands is an almost physical experience, and New York's Letter To The Exiles fire out an unrelenting barrage of body blows in the form of aural haymakers and sonic headbutts. Suffocating in their intensity, the sheer violence of the breakdowns this Long Island crew dish out is utterly feral. Working in some very intriguing time signatures, 'The Shadow Line' begins in fine style with a spooky piano intro that leads into standout track "Oh Holy Dead!". Frontman Erich W Barto's gravel-throated roar sounds fantastically tortured, and the effect is increased through judicious use of effects like on the final track "Epilogue". There are brief respites from the bludgeoning to your brain in the form of some lovely dual-guitar work and quieter, moodier moments, such as on "Martyrdom" that serve to build the tension to a crescendo that gets released in another spleen-splitting riff. If comparison had to be drawn, you could mention As I Lay Dying minus the clean vocals of recent albums and not be far wrong. Worthy of mention is Andy Amato's drumming; a fine example of modern metal percussion. For fans of bands who sound like the end of the world, Letter To The Exiles deliver the goods.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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