Originally written by Jordan Campbell
*sigh*
Landmine Marathon is one of those bands that you just want to love. Cool name, killer tones, a female vocalist that actually rips n’ howls with brow-raising fervor…this band has that certain “t-shirt worthy” quality to ’em. On the surface, anyway. The unforunate verdict on this crew is that their tunes, while rooted in a plethora of satisfying elements, leave something to be desired. Namely, memorability.
The band’s frenetic, Swede-influenced slice-and-dice is impressively violent. A nasty, Sunlight-esque guitar swath lays waste in short order, alternating between a nearly-meldodeath bounce and an old-school grinding pace. And their crustified downshifts are effective-as-hell, never falling prey to the “breakdown for the sake of breaking shit down” trap that captures too many of their peers.
So, what’s the problem? Frankly, for all its cleverness and snarl, all its chunk/churn gnawing madness, Rusted Eyes Awake should have stronger legs. ‘Tis frustrating, as the band has detailed each song to embrace a distinct identity. It’s just that punishers like “Bile Towers,” “Heroin Swine,” and the awesome “Skin From Skull” fare much better than the lumbering schlep of “Xenocide” and the nearly BDM-ish “Bled To Oblivion.” There are some duds laying around here, and the higher-quality, Entombed-gone-methworm detontations fail to leave a serious crater themselves. Landmine Marathon have built a cool amalgamation of some of metal’s best elements, but the sum is disappointing in its lack of consequence. Rusted Eyes Awake is fun while it lasts, but is ultimately destined to spend more time on your rack than in your skull.
