Do you want to write for Ink 19?
Living Sacrifice
The Hammering Process
Solid State
The Hammering Process, eh? Truly, a none-more-fitting title for this, Living Sacrifice¹s fifth thus far. Strange happenings a-brewing here, as Living Sacrifice return after a four-year hiatus looking shorn and showered, ready n¹ willing to do battle with masses previously unaccustomed with preaching the Gospel amidst heavy, hammering sounds. Much like the criminally under-appreciated and sorely missed Believer, Living Sacrifice cut their collective teeth during thrash metal¹s heyday of the late 80s, so calling The Hammering Process a sellout wouldn¹t be too judicious a move, but it¹d certainly be off-point; thus, let¹s call it a savvy makeover. And the makeover the quintet gets here is one strikingly close to the smart(er) nu-metal sounds of Skinlab and earlier Deftones, one that places a premium on tribal pummeling, gargantuan groove, nimble-minded nuance, hypnotic heaviness, torn vocal chords, and the occasional nod to mainstreamable melody, particularly on album standouts "Hand of the Dead" and "Altered Life." Guess what? It works. Man, does it work so admirably, in fact, that The Hammering Process wipes the floor with just about every drop-E¹d, baggy-panted bozo band around, past or (especially) present, namely because it¹s imbued with a certain short-haired rage and anguish on par with Botch or the much-missed and misunderstood Coalesce. Undeniably underground, but peering cockeyed above the trenches, aware and wary of what the big(ger) boys are doing. Hammer on, brothers.
Solid State, PO Box 12698, Seattle, WA 98111, http://www.solidstaterecords.com
Nathan T. Birk
