It’s not often we hear about metal bands from out in Montana but At Home In Hell are looking to change that with their new album “Self Identified Deity”. Combining elements of industrial groove, death metal and modern takes on alternative/nu-metal, the band are not easy to pigeon-hole as we found out on listening to these new songs.
Opening with the sounds of horror, strange and bizarre noises eminating from the depths of hell and “Fear“, the tone is set early on with an industrialised take on various extreme on the metal genre. That alt/nu-metal stance can be found everyone on here but it’s not necessarily the core sound of the band, merely taking those elements and injecting the groove elements that in turn does form the basis of the band’s main trajectory. “Rite To Sin” has that bounce too with breakdowns and dirty riffs while combining deathly growls that are are gutteral as any death metal band can be.
But it’s the more industrial type stuff that is more interesting here with “Slave Dance” coming in early to showcase what could be a fairly overall representation of the band’s true sound. “Funeral Faith” continues that with more atmospheric backgrounds and that all American groove metal that such bands as Devildriver and Lamb Of God are known for. One of the early highlights here is “Revolutionary Suicide” which is satisfyingly intense with a viciously raw sound and aggressive in tone. Even though this one isn’t so much industrial, there’s definitely something along those lines that defines what the band are about.
The second half of the album does taper off a little but also showcases a little more experimental stuff like the symphonic touches and jazzy guitar solos in “Face Of God” or the electro-industrial inspired “The Knife” or the Nine Inch Nails influenced “Everyone Lies”. But aside from those more alternative offerings, the band keep the death metal grooves heavy on most of the tracks here.
If you like killer riffs and music to simply headbang to, there’s enough here to satisfy all those needs as well as tap into the more alternative takes on the many sub-genres that are out there. Variety is the spice of life and At Home In Hell definitely have that going for them.
7/10
TRACKLIST
Fear
Rite To Sin
Slave Dance
Funeral Of Faith
Revolutionary Suicide
Face Of God
Just Another Story
Unwanted Affection
The Knife
Chemical Lobotomy
Everyone Lies
Solitary Confinement
Fault