Upon A Burning Body
Straight From the Barrio
(Sumerian Records)
Straight From the Barrio feels like an album I shouldn’t like. Upon A Burning Body, horrendously bad marketing in 2014 aside, have always felt a tad underrated. Their sound mixed Pantera groove with deathcore aggression to create hellaciously catchy mosh jams. Sure, their lyrics were never going to win a Pulitzer, but writing about their favorite films and their upbringing added to the sense that the band really were just enjoying themselves. It’s nice to think that a band is able to have fun instead of brooding all the time, and Upon A Burning Body definitely understood that. However, their fourth record definitely offers a pretty significant sonic shift for the band, and the lyrics definitely have become something else entirely.
Straight From the Barrio is a conflicted release. You get the sense that the band are in the midst of a shift, and this record is a snapshot mid-transformation. The first half of the album doubles down on the band’s groove and party elements to craft a Latin-infused style of nu-deathcore that basically sounds like a Hispanic Attila. The bilingual lyrics and Latin musical flourishes are really well done, and “‘Til the Break of Dawn” is easily the most unique thing the band have created musically. The lyrics are definitely sophomoric (and that’s arguably the biggest problem with album), but it’s certainly a sign that Upon A Burning Body are here to have a good time first and foremost now. Fast forward to “B.M.F.”, which kind of feels like an Attila parody. It shouldn’t work, with its brazenly silly lyrics, but again the band is so damn good with groove and Southern licks that what shouldn’t work ends up being a low-brow masterpiece. Not everything comes together as well, as the clean hook in “Already Broken” and the synth-fueled chorus are experiments that fail.
Interestingly, once the title track hits, we get to welcome back the old Upon A Burning Body, albeit a tighter, stronger form with some killer clean vocals. The quartet of songs starting with “Leave the Pain Behind” might be the best the band have ever sounded, with huge, effective choruses meeting up with killer grooves. It often calls to mind fellow Texans Fit For A King but in a way that’s all their own.
Sure, rarely does it feel like a band exhibits two sides of an unexpected coin in one album (falling somewhere between a Latin Attila and Whitechapel), but a lot of credit must go to the band for making something not remotely cohesive still an enjoyable ride. However, the truly laughable (at times) lyrics are problematic, though much less so than other “brash” groups (ahem, Attila). Ultimately, it results is a bit of a mixed bag, but despite it’s apparently flaws, a level of personality flows forth. Straight From the Barrio is an unexpectedly enjoyable set of party jams.
Purchase Straight From the Barrio here.
