Rape Pillage & Burn get things started off on the right foot with Songs of Death…Songs of Hell — the click of a trigger, a shotgun blast to the face, and damn, you’re on your way. Considering the utter lack of frills or niceties in this EP’s five hell-fueled tracks, the album’s introduction is a fitting one. Of course, would you expect anything pleasant from a band with a name like Rape Pillage & Burn? A band boasting a member who has also paid dues with Dismember and Dark Funeral (bassist Richard Cabeza)? I should hope not.
Rape Pillage & Burn are all for recreating a classic death metal sound, but with dashes of rock and doom thrown in for good measure. The tracks on the EP fall into a pattern of oozing, lurching grooves and straight up head-stomping death metal. There’s nothing overly exciting or flashy to be heard here, which is fine, but unfortunately for the listener everything kind of blends together in a repetitive run of down-tuned mayhem. If Songs of Death… were pot (and I imagine it would be beneficial to have a hit or two before listening), it would be the good stuff, only the bong’s been cashed and you found out the hard way.
Simply put, Songs of Death…Songs of Hell should be checked out by fans of old school death metal. Imagine Incantation’s evil aura, Venom’s raw essence and Entombed’s death boogie all thrown together…only a little watered down and tired. Beer should help.
