ALBUM REVIEW: The Last Ten Seconds Of Life – The Last Ten Seconds Of Life

2021 was the year deathcore finally had its renaissance on two fronts. Whether it was the explosion of reactions to the sheer bombast and ferocity of LORNA SHORE‘s To The Hellfire, or the continued evolution and maturation of WHITECHAPEL on Kin, the scene veterans stepped up once again to show they had something different to offer. And the emergence of newer powerhouse groups like VEXED, SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL and BRAND OF SACRIFICE reaffirmed that deathcore would continue to grow and evolve with new grooves, incredibly talented vocalists, and experimentation of musicianship that said “this is the new way we do things.”

Deathcore is no longer the pure breakdown, one note brutality that once catapulted it into the consciousness of the metal mainstream in the mid to late 00s. To really make an impact today, bands need to show a great willingness to be versatile and bring something new to the table, or they’ll risk being lost in the shuffle of a subgenre which is already difficult enough to stand out in. Unfortunately for Pennsylvania’s THE LAST TEN SECONDS OF LIFE, their new self titled record doesn’t do nearly enough to rise above the pack of aforementioned bands, or even the large amount of bands nipping at their heels. The moments of variety and nuance are far too fleeting when they do come, and its sheer length and extraneous tracks make the album a bit of a slog to get through.

The two major critiques of this album go hand in hand; one feeding the other. The album comes in with 14 tracks, which on first glance (and what turns out to be the case) seems far to long to make an effective and memorable statement. Most of the best deathcore records of late have been ten or 11 tracks, with few of those venturing into the 4:30 or five-minute territory. But the length does, of course, not preclude an album or band having staying power. What seals THE LAST TEN SECONDS OF LIFE‘s fate is the feeling of sameness across much of the album’s long runtime, and the moments where the band do attempt to go outside of their comfort zone, it’s just not executed to the degree it could have been.

From the first seconds, the low end on this record is almost overwhelming, and it becomes very clear that the band’s path forward is brutality and breakdowns. Again, this is not a bad thing in this day and age when tempered properly or when mixed with some cross genre influence and moments of subtlety. A band like SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL is known for their brutality and heaviness, but they come in with a unique angle and image that enhances their sound, as well as a greater degree of play with nu-metal and groove. On the first half of the record, THE LAST TEN SECONDS OF LIFE no doubt showcase their talent as players, and in the case of vocalist John Robert Centorrino, as a very solid vocalist with a powerful voice, but there are just too many riffs and guitar tones that run together from song to song to song. Tracks like The Sabbath are a bit catchier and a welcome dialogue sample from Paul Thomas Anderson‘s There Will Be Blood along with a guitar solo add a bit of spice, but the whole first half of this record is pretty forgettable.

The second half is where things get a bit more interesting. The three track run of Hate What You Love, Vampire (A Blood Ballad) and Glory Be 2 Misery are easily the most engrossing tracks on the album, with the first of these being the most groovy and melodically solid, with a nice use of the tempo meshing with the guitar’s riffing. There is more melody on these tracks, with some clean vocals interspersed in various parts of each of the last two tracks above. The wild tonal shift at times is jarring, but the fact that there’s even a bit of mix up is very welcome, and there are some neat atmospheres at play melodically. After this however, the album peters out with a few more tracks that fall back into the traps of the first half, and some instrumental tracks that do not add much of anything to the memorability of the record and only serve to pad the runtime in the context of everything else. And therein lies the pitfall. Without well executed variety in sound, the length of the record stands out even more and the moments of experimentation of the back half fall flat because at that point, it’s been so much of one sort of sound that it wears out its welcome.

LORNA SHORE featured some of the wildest symphonic flourishes in metal all last year on top of vocals the likes of which the scene had not heard. VEXED leaned full on into nu-metal groove to deliver staccato vocals that delivered more bounce than DISTURBED in their prime. BRAND OF SACRIFICE added a Final Fantasy level of epic quality to their compositions. THE LAST TEN SECONDS OF LIFE have unfortunately not found what will set their sound apart from the major players in the scene, and this new self-titled record is too hampered by its length and mostly grey palette to make any sort of statement. The talent is there, but they have a lot to prove going forward if they seek to take advantage of deathcore’s modern cultural consciousness, and not be left behind as a band that would have succeeded 15 years ago.

Rating: 4/10

The Last Ten Seconds Of Life is set for release on January 28th via Unique Leader Records.

Like THE LAST TEN SECONDS OF LIFE on Facebook.