This article is more than 17 years old and may not have been updated since our last site redesign. It may contain outdated information, broken links, or could be missing images and/or attribution.
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
