BRICK BATH
I Won't Live The Lie - Album Review
(Promo CD Album)
...there are some mighty fine downtuned guitars
found prowling menacingly amongst the tight and explosive cannonade
from the rhythm section...
Brick Bath are a band that are based in Southern California, USA and were originally formed back in 1996, from the ashes of a band called Epitaph.  Due to problems with record labels, the continuation of Epitaph was not practical and despite a considerable amount of work invested in it, they decided to move forward and along with a new bass player they called themselves Brick Bath.  This is consequently their first release, with which they have applied a few lessons learnt, by keeping it within their own control.  They have in fact self produced, recorded, engineered and released this album and a fine job of it they have done too.
Track Listing:

01. Inner Peace
02. Bone Dry
03. Pain My Friend!
04. Sick Of You
05. Undone
06. I Won't Live The Lie
07. Crucified
08. Simple Life
09. So Wrong
10. Oppression Kills
11. Need
12. Legacy
13. Erased
14. Die Alone

 Brick Bath Album Cover
This album is essentially a tightly packed set of powerful songs, bursting with energy and aggression, fighting from the first to the fifty second minute to assert domination on each other.  There are some mighty fine downtuned guitars found prowling menacingly amongst the tight and explosive cannonade from the rhythm section. 

The sound is quite staggeringly professional, excellently produced and very proudly displays it's roots from the traditional power metal genre.  Pantera and Testament come to the forefront but with flashbacks to the likes of Machine Head, Flotsam and Jetsam, Exodus, Onslaught, Armoured Saint and Xentrix.  It's the whole late 80's early 90's power/thrash metal experience, but it's much more than that.  It has been nurtured into the 21st century and mixed with current influences from hardcore and nu-metal to maximise the violence, intensity and attitude.

The opening track Inner Peace, is an excellent example and a good insight of what is to come, having blistering pace, concrete crumbling force and heavy attacking riffs.

Now the gauntlet has been cast down and power pours out memorably from the title track I Won't Live The Lie, as well as Crucified to name just two outstanding songs.  It's so difficult, as you could list almost every track on the album because you're presented with one after another song that just rips your face off.  Then there's the evil riff at the beginning of Simple Life and it's weighty, throbbing grooves that hammer your eardrums flat. 

But overwhelmingly, the thing that characterises their sound throughout the album is the huge Pantera influence, demonstrated particularly strongly on Sick Of You with the chugging rhythms and gravel throated, strained Phil Anselmo style vocals.  For me, it's something that just takes the shine off things a little as the sound was a little often too similar to Pantera. 

That said, don't allow me to appear over critical on that one criticism because there is obviously so much talent on display here.  This is an excellent album, that has successfully entertained me and will go on to get many more opportunities to annoy the neighbours.  If these boys could concentrate on developing more of their "own sound", I am sure it would complete what is potentially a huge band in the making.  Get across to mp3.com and listen for yourselves...

Rigsby (11th October 2001)
Transcripts From The Downtuned

Band Website:  www.mp3.com/brickbath
Band email:  joelspy@cs.com