It appears Metal Blade has been quite busy as of late. Doing all they can to stay ahead of the game, this legendary label continues to snatch up young hopefuls as America’s new found and ever increasing interest in heavy and extreme music continues to flourish. The latest of these signings goes by the moniker The Red Death and hail from Bath, NY just south of Rochester. Like most of Metal Blade’s recent signings, The Red Death are part of the ever growing league of Death/Thrash/ Hardcore influenced bands that are currently flooding the market, the difference is that these guys are actually worth checking out.

Since the quality of bands playing this style remains high, the overwhelming number of them has made the act of separating such bands increasingly difficult. That being said, I was pleased to hear The Red Death’s debut full-length External Frames of Reference lean more toward the Death/Thrash side of the spectrum since so many bands are merely taking the Hardcore sound and adding a few melodies in an attempt to appease the “metal” crowds.

Seeing as this is a debut from a young band, External Frames of Reference manages to get its point across with relative ease, making for a listening experience even casual Death/Thrash fans shouldn’t have a hard time getting into. Loaded with full-speed-ahead accessible riffing, tortured screams and pounding drums, The Red Death bring a considerable level of intensity to the table, drawing heavily at times from the masters At The Gates and the Swedish Thrash sound in general.

While their American origin would almost automatically cause me to lump them in with the Metalcore masses, there really isn’t that big of a Hardcore influence on External Frames of Reference, as repeated breakdowns are replaced with well-executed blasts, which is something most Metalcore bands steer clear of. A perfect example would be the initial blasts of the album opening title track that gets things started in a powerful way before switching to more traditional Melodic Death riffing. In terms of breakdowns, The Red Death are not formulaic with them, tossing them in for effect without overstaying their welcome. Check out Before An Empty Throne for an excellent breakdown that throws some nice low growls into the mix.

While the adequately executed screams of Paul Hamblim do not wear on your nerves over the album’s duration, the band thankfully aren’t afraid to let their Death Metal influences shine in both their riff and vocal work, as demonstrated in the crushing intro of Silent Machines. By throwing low growls into the mix rather than the typical Metalcore spoken and clean passages, External Frames of Reference manages to separate itself that much more from the rest.

To be honest, I was really on the fence with this album. After each listen I was never really sure what my thoughts were. Part of me wanted to believe these guys were like the rest but as each listen uncovered new layers, I slowly started changing my mind. While The Red Death do rely heavily at times on the typical The Haunted and At The Gates-esque riff patterns, the overall level of intensity and well-executed variety of Thrash/Death and tasteful Hardcore more than makes up for it. Production wise, everything sounds fine but I think these guys would benefit greatly from a thicker overall guitar tone and more bass to give their sound an added boost.

Since External Frames of Reference is only a debut, I’ll give The Red Death the benefit of the doubt, as I believe these guys could possibly reach the head of the pack with their next album. For now, I see The Red Death storming out of the starting gates with a first place finish in sights. With so many bands attempting to bridge the Hardcore/ Death/ Thrash Metal gap, most end up merely taking these styles and gluing the pieces together rather than properly fusing them. The Red Death have proven more than capable of accomplishing the latter.