Credit the Czech Republic’s Lacerated Enemy Records for nabbing the license for this Skull and Bones Records released debut from these young (and now split up) Australian upstarts Hiroshima Will Burn, a modern tech-death act that came along just soon enough to catch what is looking like the tail end of a minor trend of cherubic types playing this shred-happy style. Assuming it gets a push on this side of the Atlantic, To the Weight of All Things could generate some interest among the same fan base that has worshipped releases by The Faceless and Born of Osiris.

However, it is not like Hiroshima Will Burn is a clone of Sumerian Records style modern tech-death either. To the Weight of All Things is almost as reminiscent of bands like Gorod, sans the same melodic flair, and even Necrophagist. The chops are very impressive, no two ways about it. The work of guitarists Tyrone Burke and Armarin Saengsri in particular ranges from surgically precise to jaw-dropping to out-of-this-world. When the deep growls of Anthony Melbourne coincide with the straight ahead bludgeoning segments the feel is similar is some respects to that of The Red Chord. Along those same lines, as much as the album is a sure bet for tech junkies, it is also inclusive of a good deal of slamming DM brutality, a quality that should broaden its appeal.

Outside of a super cool, decidedly un-brutal, far out ‘n jazzy instrumental called “Laberinto,” To the Weight of All Things offers a shred-worthiness that isn’t so excessive as to be mind-numbing or a brutality factor that doesn’t becomes needlessly redundant. The only downside is that once the “wow” factor has subsided, the disc isn’t quite as memorable as it should be, which I’ll chalk up to a young band that is still developing a sense of identity and a more dynamically relevant and melodically recognizable approach to songwriting. On the whole though, I enjoyed it.

[Visit the band's website]

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