Solid metallic punk rock – 70%
Noktorn, July 1st, 2011
The dirty secret of Barbatos- as the band went further along in their career, they just got punkier, to the point where “Let’s Fucking Die!” is really a lot more punk than metal. Granted, it’s metal-influenced punk- there’s a big helping of oldschool speed metal, and the punk/metal strains of Motörhead are all over this disc- but it’s punk nonetheless. Unsurprisingly, it sounds like the band is a lot more comfortable playing this than the black/thrash style of previous albums- here, all the black metal influence has basically been excised in favor of a sound that takes as much from The Ramones as any metal band. It’s a fun and enthusiastic release, fairly one-dimensional and straightforward, that shows Barbatos doing what they do best: rocking out with big, stupid songs that display just how far you can get on attitude alone.
This album works in a couple basic modes: Motörhead-influenced speed metal, where fast punk-meets-Priest riffs collide with aggressive drumming and shrieking vocals, and straightforward punk tracks which take influence from everything from crust to The Ramones without batting an eye. The two flavors go together remarkably well, bound together by the core of punk riffing that infuses even the most metal sections, and while the riffs tend to be simple and traditional, they’re always engaging, intense, and captivating; they’re the soul of the music gliding over a perpetual river of d-beats and shouted Engrish. More surprising than the more aggressive moments are the tracks that bring to mind the slower, more emotive tracks The Ramones would do; “Baby I’m Your Man” quite literally sounds like a mid-era Ramones song, using the same basic chord structure in the main riff as “Pet Sematary”- minus the more extreme vocals and it could be from the ’70s with no trouble.
Of course, while the band is pretty good at making catchy punk tracks, this album does suffer from some measure of repetition and ultimately pointless tracks. Around four tracks could probably be cut from this album to make a leaner, more immediately gripping release- as it is, my attention tends to wander around and only come back for my favorite songs. Though none of the tracks are obviously weaker than the others, the sheer similarity of most of them can turn this album into kind of an ordeal to listen to, even if the music is solid at its core. It all depends on how much you enjoy the style- for me, this is good, but an occasional listen. Barbatos are hardly reinventing the wheel on this one, but it’s entertaining and even surprisingly nuanced music at times, and I think that’s good enough for music like this.
rafazardly 