Band: Oathbreaker
Title: Oathbreaker
Label: Holy Shit! Records(CD)/ Thirty Days Of Night Records (vinyl)
Distribution: Holy Shit! Records
Release date: October 2008
Review: MCD

In July, the Belgian quartet Oathbreaker (Caro-v, Ivo-d, Lennart-g, Gilles-b) entered the famous Belgian CCR Studio with producer / mixer / master Kris Belaen (Retaliate, Putrid Inbred, Pantheist, Crimson Falls, Psalm  amongst others), and this nameless mini-album (total running time: fourteen minutes) is the result of this collaboration. The mini-album opens with the sludgy instrumental track Mindless, followed by Shelter, which combines Groove Metal with Hardcore in the vein of, for example, Rise And Fall, Disfear or Cursed. Next track, Ashes, is also a groovy and sludgy instrumental in the vein of, for example, Neurosis or Mastodon. The thrashy track Downfall and the energetic song Mirror also combine firm Hardcore-alike (Thrash) Metal with groovy and sludgy riffs and a dito rhythm section. The elements from both Punk and Metal and the several breaks and tempo-changes, make Oathbreaker an outstanding band in their musical scene; and the same certainly goes for the intelligent lyrics too. Recommended to fans of Hardcore, Thrash Metal, Sludge and Doom-Grind.

84/100

Ivan Tibos.