Butcher Babies have long been dismissed by critics more interested in discussing frontwomen Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey’s cleavages than giving their skin-peeling screams and their band the props they deserve. Lilith is easily the Californians’ heaviest, grooviest, and most varied album to date. Songs like Headspin and Korova make best use of Heidi’s clean vocals with catchy choruses providing pit stops of melody amongst relentless Lamb Of God and Slipknot-esque brutality. The profanity-laden POMONA (Shit Happens) tries too hard to be edgy, instead coming off as crude and immature, but in Lilith, which marries sinister ambience to chugging guitars, and Underground And Overrated, where glam undertones bubble alongside serrated riffery, there’s material here to warrant repeat listens. While it doesn’t offer much in the way of cerebral curveballs, Lilith could be the Butcher Babies album that finally wins over the band’s naysayers.
