Description
Following up on their debut EP, Stay Hated, Benchpress return with their sophomore effort, the crushing, Controlled By Death, which builds onto the initial metallic-tinged hardcore sound of the group with a greater emphasis on thrash metal and death metal elements.
From the opening isolated guitar notes and background drone of intro track, it becomes clear that we are dealing with a similar but heavily re-calibrated version of Benchpress. Fogged in grimier and hazier production, it’s not until midtrack that fades away its melodic, angular Slayer-ian beginnings and gives way to a semblance of the group’s signature metallic hardcore assault. Aided by new guitarist Jordan Skipper, Benchpress lay waste to the group’s initial mid-paced and clarified hardcore assault with added speed, double-bass assault, and blast with the added complexities of the instrumentals bleeding onto the vocal realm as well. While Stay Hated focused solely on singular vocals from frontman Aaron Yohn, Controlled By Death utilizes vocals from both guitarist Jordan Skipper and bassist Ryan Cherry on virtually every track to bolster and breathe dimension into the new intricacies of the sound.
The new blueprint comes to be transparent onto the remaining tracks in varying degrees, allowing each track to mold into its own identity. Splitting Heads is a straight thrasher all the way through and as a purpose, serves as the band’s statement of ethos of not giving a fuck. Erupting with a rhythmic staccato opening that melds into a ripping solo halfway through, the track powerlifts its way through to victory, regressing only for a brief moment of a groovy bass break before returning to beat in the front of your face with a twenty ton dumbbell. Disgusted With The World serves as the EPs busiest track. Ripe with transitions, Disgusted With The World again masterfully summons the group’s inner Slayer and melds thrash riffs with quips of angular melodics before ending with a crushing breakdown aided by the guest vocals of Dion from Benchpress fellow Pennsylvanian brethren in Rock Bottom. Drawing to the past, Silver Spoon and Pressure give greater leeway to the band’s previous mid-paced hardcore assault on Stay Hated whilst still retaining the aggression of their new approach and No Place Like Home serves as a well-placed bookend to the EP, melding together the steel of the previous tracks into a sludgy, note bending composite.
All in all, Benchpress present a refreshing and original take on the often overtly mediocre realm of metallic hardcore that subjectively, I can’t find a problem in. Controlled By Death gets a perfect ten out of ten coffins.
