Occasionally I get an album that paints a picture of the world, angry and frustrated; wishing that shit would just get better while summarily knowing that it won’t and will only get worse. A bleak outlook on humanity is how I would describe Snipers of Babel’s powerhouse “Gabriel”.  After producing the “Redemption” ep and a single “A New Beginning”, “Gabriel” is their debut, and what a debut it is. Fourteen mammoth tracks, each one breathing its own air is refreshing to hear.

This album is chock full of surprises and guest vocalists galore, including Frank Rini from the mighty Internal Bleeding, and fellow author here at TOTD. Also guesting on the album is Richard “GrindFather” Johnson (Agoraphobic NoseBleed, Drugs of Faith, Enemy Soil) and the kit devastating Kevin Talley (Dying Fetus, Misery Index, Suffocation).

The brutal tone is set with the sampled intro and the triumphant melody (yes, melody and harmony exist even in the most aggressive settings) that doesn’t hinder, on the contrary it pulls you into the soundscape Snipers of Babel have created. Frank Rini is the first guest vocalist and his vocals on “Gabriel” and “Your God’s War” are fucking incredible, adding the perfect level of menace to propel the album onward. This is a long album, the songs live in the five-to-seven-minute range, but like I said before the songs breathe on their own, it doesn’t seem like it’s as long as it is.

Besides those tracks, there’s the saber rattling of “Digital Death” with a twisting DNA strand of a riff that’ll eat into your vulnerable mind, while “Crushuman” does exactly that: crushes you. This is such a relentless record, and the stellar production means that each savage note is like a knife slice and the bass and drums are a battering ram of clarity. I could fan boy the shit out of this album so much, it’s already in the top five of my year end list (if that matters, I mean I’m just a guy with a laptop and an opinion) and since I’ve never done a year end list its exciting to be able to add these guys.

I agree with the for fans of blurb in the press kit, Dying Fetus, Suffocation, and Fear Factory. But I would also add Misery Index and Internal Bleeding, this is maximum brutality, an East Coast beatdown that I cannot recommend enough. Snipers of Babel have created an absolute beast of a debut, so what are you waiting for? It’s out now!

[Visit the band's website]

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