One of the most unfortunate things about Upon A Burning Body’s insanely ill-advised 2014 kidnap stunt was that it pulled the rug from under a band that had the capacity to do some truly great things.
That’s a real shame, because Straight From The Barrio slams. The Texans prove once again that they channel the stomp and swagger of Pantera better than 99% of the bands that have come since, and the sprinklings of death metal ferocity and building-imploding breakdowns that have characterised their work thus far are very much present and correct. There are also a few extra dips into the Latino flavours that have reared their head in previous Upon A Burning Body records, most noticeably in the album’s title track and crushing lead single ‘Til The Break Of Dawn, which will have you shaking your hips as much as banging your head (yes, really). And, while it’s shamelessly dumb – frontman Danny Leal once again basically just screaming ‘FUCK OFF M8 YOU DON’T OWN ME LET’S GET DRUNK’ for 40 straight minutes – if you dine out on nu metal braggadocio as reimagined by a kickass deathcore band, then Straight From The Barrio is for you. To think what could have been…
