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After a succesful run on their self-released EP, THE ROAD LEADS TO NOWHERE, New Mexico’s LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT have returned with AMONG FLIES, their first full-length set of horror-influenced metal for Siege of Amida/Ferret Records. Kicking off with the almost obligatory instrumental syth intro Overture of the Maleficia, LAST HOUSE rolls into the crunchy Forever Dying, a tale of a young woman who found her death at the hands of an axe-wielding killer, only to have her “twitching corpse kicked into the sea.” By the end of the second track, the band makes a clear statement on what their listeners can expect for the next 44 minutes.
Vocalist Tyler Semyaza uses each track to tell a story, as written from the thoughts of a murderous psychopath. While the lyrics can be viewed as frightening, their delivery is best served with a deep growl, as opposed to the nasal-tinged bark that often dominates the mix, as most of the vocals are doubled-up throughout the album. Musically, the band functions great as a whole, and is most effective when they fall into a heavy groove. Arguably the strongest song on the album is in the ninth spot with Liath Loinneach, starting off with a guitar tone and groove that recalls Wolverine Blues-era ENTOMBED. Nearly all bands in the metal realm have a habit of falling into the machine-gun drumming and “who can play the fastest” rut, and sadly, LAST HOUSE is no exception, with almost every track featuring at least one section of the bass/snare/bass/snare trappings. Fortunately, the good outweighs the bad, for a solid album, that could’ve been a great album with a little more tweaking.
Dark and gritty like the film from which they took their name, LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT is both enjoyable and painful at times.
Rating: 3/5 Stars
