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I don't know about you, but little kids talking kind of creep me out, depending on what they are saying, of course. The intro to this self-titled disc by death metal band Brainsic did just that. They had a little girl do a short monologue that speaks about there being no god or anyone watching over us and the line, "We're nothing. We come from dirt, we go back into dirt," however true in my eyes, creeped me the fuck out with the tone she used. If that is from a movie, I need to know which one! After that, they break straight into the brutality that fills this CD's 7 tracks. Hailing from the rainy Pacific Northwest city of Portland, these death metal veterans Jacob (bass/vox), CJ (guitars), and David (drums) sure know how to bring said brutality. For a 3-piece, these guys are extremely tight. It definitely works for them being stripped down, not having so many cooks in the kitchen, as that can muddy up an album fairly quick. This release has everything the typical death metal fan would want: fast and heavy riffs, blast beats, and growling vocals, but for the death metal connoisseur, there is more. Brainsic brings a mode of technicality in this release, utilizing time changes and quasi-breakdowns; not in the metalcore context, but rather bringing an interesting hook to the riff, such as in "I Created," which features a clean, arpeggiated guitar between riff breaks. I'd imagine playing this live requires CJ to do a little pedal board dancing. The main vocals are reminiscent of Chris Barnes type of growling, which is joined by a higher pitch screaming, so we are treated with a dual vocal assault, in a call and response style at times. I was also impressed with the drumming on this disc. David somewhat reminds me of Gene Hogland, actually playing polyrhythmic riffs with his kicks as opposed to just straight up blast beats, which plague many death metal albums and make them boring. Such is not the case here, the drumming is technical and held my interest. Highlights of the disc are definitely the first track, "Sheep to Bleed" and of course "I Created," which was my favorite track. All of the songs here are fairly short; less than 4 minutes with exception of "I Created," so the band doesn't wear out their welcome with long, drawn out riff-fests. These guys get straight to the point and drive it home with in-your-face brutality and technicality. Rating: 4 out of 5 bottles of Jack Daniel's

Among all the needlessly overly-technical death metal bands, it's extremely refreshing to hear a death metal band so rooted in being retro and fun. It's as if Brainsic, from Portland, has roots so deep in old-school death and thrash that this kind of music is the first thing that came to their minds during practice. That's not to say that this isn't death metal. It is. It's just not the death metal style that many are privy to anymore, and it's clear that this band is technically proficient. The solos, fills and general instrumentation can easily tell you that. Another interesting aspect of this band is the fact that they are a 3-piece. These seven tracks are full of melodic parts, breaks for cool leads, bass fills, shred fests, and a lot of swingy, groovy death metal. "Until Sleep" has a cool ambient part that wouldn't be out of place on an old Roadrunner Records disc from '92, for instance. The structures of the songs are interesting, if nothing groundbreaking, and transition well without losing their melody or fun factor. "Over," the shortest song at 3:18, is their trademark track. It's fast, heavy and memorable. Brainsic organizes their songs with their ears and not their scale chart. I hear equal parts Entombed and late Behemoth here, especially in the great drumming and guitar work. The lyrics tend to be a bit bland and boring, but the vocals do the job nicely to help cover up any unsightly phrases. I'm willing to bet that a lot of people can get into this style of death metal if they don't always look for the most technical, intense band on the market. This isn't Psycroptic or Atheretic here, nor is it trying to be. Brainsic cares solely about playing death metal. In this musical climate, they are perhaps more rebellious by not bowing to trends or what is popular with extreme music fans. The band has a lot of crossover appeal; it's technical and heavy enough for many death metal fans and catchy enough for casual observers. If you or someone you know is a jaded death metal fan, listen to this CD. It'll help re-instill to the listener what is lacking from a good heap death metal today: unpretentiousness and fun. No doubt Brainsic puts on a great live show. The band's own statement on their website is more indicative of their overall intent: "We play what we like and love playing shows so show up, drink, rock the fuck out and kick some ass!"