ALBUM REVIEW: The Burning Illusion – Yellowtooth

‘Frustrating’ is the first word that springs to mind when listening to The Burning Illusion. The third album by Michigan-based three-piece YELLOWTOOTH never really comes together and seems to buckle under the weight of its ambition. The musicianship is impressive and these lads are never short of kick-ass guitar riffs, but the songs aren’t memorable enough and sadly, it winds up being a disappointment.  The tracks drag on too long, the hooks don’t stick in the mind and no amount of energetic fret work can save it.

They operate almost like the missing link between sludge and groove metal. YELLOWTOOTH’s main focus is writing the sort of slow, lackadaisical metal that just crawled out of a swamp and into a heroin den, but there’s a few attempts at pit-igniting mosh numbers as well. They never approach warp speed, but they’re not afraid of picking the pace up occasionally. Thus, you get songs like the meandering Scattered To The Wind sitting alongside faster cuts such as Lazarus Syndrome and there is a notable effort to vary things up.

Unfortunately, this isn’t enough to prevent The Burning Illusion from being a difficult album. From the lazy stumbling of opener From Faith To Flames to the more up-tempo Atrocity, it’s all just a bit dull. The vocals are uninteresting, the tracks outstay their welcome and no matter how many astronauts die in the lyrics, it doesn’t improve. It’s good to hear sludge metal that could feasibly go on tour with LAMB OF GOD, but it simply isn’t exciting enough.

If YELLOWTOOTH have one ace up their sleeve though, it’s the guitar work. Axe-slinger Henry McGinnis has an arsenal of riffs at his disposal. There are intricate little melodies, blues-rocking efforts and otherworldly, stoner grooves cropping up throughout. The introductory passage to The Illusion for instance is a rare moment when the album threatens to pick up steam, only for it to be derailed by another monotonous vocal performance and flat chorus.

The Burning Illusion has flashes of genius, but as a whole it falls apart. There are a few scattered moments that raise eyebrows but they never coalesce into a barnstorming song and ultimately, it’s a let down. A more distinctive vocalist and tighter song-writing could do wonders for them but as it stands, this is not an album that commands repeat listens. It’s a worthy effort but it falls short.

Rating: 4/10

The Burning Illusion is set for release April 30th via Orchestrated Misery Recordings.

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