LAMBS – Betrayed From Birth
Witness me! I’m currently a bit bitter about my butthole because I’ve had a hemorrhoid since March and when I thought I was out of this itchy butthole bleeding game, the Taco Bell poops just has to pull me back in. If you don’t know anything about hemorrhoids, I’ll enlighten you and tell you that a hemorrhoid is a result of inflamed or swollen blood vessels in your anus. You can have both internal and external swollen blood vessels so you either rub PreparationH gel on the outside of your butt or maybe grab some suppositories (dissoluble butt pills) and put them in your butt. Anyway, the reason why this is being said is that I have been Betrayed from Birth. People are genetically prone to hemorrhoids so my dad had them (and had it bad enough to get surgery) and my grandpa had them and I imagine it goes further down the line. So thanks Dad.
Betrayed From Birth by LAMBS is an exquisite, three-song EP from some of the same dudes who are involved with Dementia Senex, a band I gave a 5/5 for their 3 song EP, Heartworm. Betrayed From Birth is very similar to Heartworm in that they are both blackened post-hardcore with a bit o’ death here and a bit o’ doom there although LAMBS leans towards hardcore punk roots with a more raw and filthy sound. The vocalist, Cristian, is still fantastic and is still just as frightening as he was on Heartworm. His growls are brutally coarse but still maintain clarity so we aren’t lost lyrically. “Fear is Your Key” is the standout track, an example of what LAMBS are capable. You get a smattering of black metal curry, a few nibbles of sludge carrots, a dash of doom pepper, some lamb (hah, get it) all the while over a nice bed of post-hardcore rice. When you go to the metal buffet, you come back with a plate of this. “You Will Follow Me Down” falls off a bit with some rough transitions, perhaps a few too many ideas, and is probably the worst track off the EP but “And Your Time Will Be Collapsed” comes in, swoops up where “Fear is Your Key” left off and finishes with some great atmosphere and brutality.
If I was on Yelp and had to give my pretentious review for a shit website (cause fuck Yelp and everyone who submits reviews on Yelp), I think they did a pretty good job. It sounds like a lot of influences came into play here and a lot of ideas were thrown on the table – but maybe a bit too many. With a three-song EP, you can only fit so much. With more songs, the ideas can come out and be presented in a manner that is most effective in creating an overall vision. The flow just wasn’t really there and felt a bit rushed. Still, I’m excited to see what else LAMBS has to offer in the future.
Written by Cole Olson
LAMBS: Betrayed from Birth
Drown Within Records
4 / 5
