Time Signature
It has begun...
Genre: modern thrash metal with a dash of metalcore
Enter BornBroken, a Canadian modern metal band from Montreal whose debut full length has been two years in the making and will finally be released tomorrow (that is on June 4th). And, for a debut full length, "The Healing Powers of Hate" definitely has a lot of qualities and is, hopefully, a sign of even better things to come in the future.
BornBroken's core style on this release is that of modern thrash, or post-thrash if you wish, which draws on the groove that the genre inherited from both southern metal and hardcore, resulting in several crushing grooves, and the tracks on the album are generally riff-driven. Just check out the initial Pro-Pain-like riffs of the opening track "Can't Quiet the Riot". And there shloud definitely be plenty of elements that appeal to fans of Lamb of God on this album too.
Moreover, the Montrealers also take cues from metalcore, which specifically is reflected in the band's use of metalcore-styled instrumental breakdowns. At this point, I think I have to point out that BornBroken's use of breakdowns considerably more innovative and not as formulaic as you hear in the music of stereotypical metalcore bands. I would not be surprised if this album will capture the interest of both metalcore fans and fans of more traditional thrash-oriented metal.
There are also plenty of melodeath-styled riffs, which - rather than the more poppy direction melodeath has taken over the last couple of years due to the influence of metalcore - actually have more in common with the highly charged energy of At the Gates latter albums and the early efforts of In Flames.
And, I must say that BornBroken's amalgamation of melodeath, metalcore and modern thrash works very well. It is well balanced and captures only the good aspects of these three genres, reminding us that, despite all the not-so-interesting bands that roam the three genres, melodeath, metalcore and modern thrash do have a lot to offer.
The production is quite well-defined and crisp, doing a lot of service to the crushing riffs and grooves. There are a couple of weird sonic effects every now and then, but nothing that disturbs the listening experience too much.
Fans of Pro-Pain, Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage, Machine Head and a wide variety of modern metal bands should definitely check out this potent debut album.