AGE OF COLLAPSE – “Burden of Beast” LP

Sprawling, dark hardcore from San Diego.  AGE OF COLLAPSE touch on a wide range of influences here: although rooted in modern, epic crust, the pleading vocals and haunting, melodic guitars owe as much to screamo as they do to FROM ASHES RISE or FALL OF EFRAFA.  Slow, hypnotic breakdowns give way to faster punk parts that remind me of Spanish heroes MADAME GERMEN, a comparison made all the easier when I occasionally mistook the reverb-drenched guitars for bowed string instruments.  This recording sounds absolutely huge, and in all the right ways; it’s easy for this kind of music to get bogged down under the weight of ambition, but AGE OF COLLAPSE wisely avoid the trap of monotony with a seemingly endless flow of masterfully-placed riffs.  Serious without feeling self-indulgent, these songs convey a sense of loss and exasperation that is echoed in muted artwork and bleak, narrative lyrics. (WB) (Aborted Society)