The Last Ten Seconds of Life // No Name Graves
The Last Ten Seconds of Life is one of my all-time favorite bands. A big reason for that is their 2015 album, ‘Soulless Hymns’ – it’s easily in my top 1% of favorite albums. So after reaching such great heights, how are they faring these days?
Well, they recently got a new vocalist after John Robert C. became the vocalist of Crystal Lake. But honestly, you might not even be able to tell the difference between him and the new guy, and that’s because TLTSOL only has one criteria for prospective vocalists: sound exactly like Storm Strope, the band’s original vocalist.
His vocals were so iconic that it basically consumed the band’s identity. It’s hard to explain his vocal style, but he basically sounds like a brooding madman. Maintaining an absolutely vicious tone while being relatively easy to understand. It creates a special brand of deathcore that is both heavy and accessible.
TLTSOL also recently recruited a new drummer and bassist. Joined by these newbies is guitarist Wyatt McLaughlin, the only remaining original member. I have a feeling that Wyatt is the brains behind the operation – keeping the band’s core sound intact while experimenting with small changes.
And there have definitely been some shifts on recent releases. This time around, I hear similarities to Vulvodynia’s last album. It’s also grittier, like being held down in the muck. TLTSOL has always been heavy, but some of these tracks really lean into it, especially with the gutturals.
On one hand, I do miss the nuance of ‘Soulless Hymns’ and ‘The Violent Sound.’ The songs were heavy but not oppressive. They really stood out as having their own character and identity. I think ‘No Name Graves’ feels darker because there are fewer moments where the band’s quirkiness shines through. On the other hand, I get the sense that this album is meant to be a dark cloud. I just fear that it might get lost among the myriad of other heavy deathcore releases.
Only time will tell if it has the staying power of earlier releases. ‘The Violent Sound’ was controversial when it came out, but I go back to it a lot. The gamble between playing it safe and experimenting is tricky. I normally favor consistency, but truly great albums push boundaries. Playing it safe in deathcore these days might yield decent streaming numbers, but there will be no lasting impact.
It’ll take a while to see where the dust settles on this one. As always, I really like the slow, methodical grooves. TLTSOL is at its best when it doesn’t crowd the track. They’re masters of catchy riffs that give the vocals room to work and that’s where their personal flair shines through the most. “Doomsday Deathtrap” is the best example of this. Other favorites include “Feel My Fangs In You” and “Letania Infernalis.”
