Burning Love/Fight Amp Split 7" - Hell Comes Home Vol. 1

 By: Aaron Pickford

Album Type:  7" Inch Split

Date Released: 25/06/2012

Label: Hell Comes Home

Burning Love/Fight Amp 7inch/DD track listing:

Burning Love Side

A). The Body

Fight Amp Side

B). Shallow Grave

Burning Love is:

Chris Colohan | lead vocals

Alex "Hawk" Goodall | bass

Pat Marshall | guitar

Andrus Meret | guitar

Easton "The Business" Lannaman | drums

Fight Amp is:

Mike McGinnis | Guitars, Vocals
Jon DeHart | Bass, Vocals
Dan Smith | Drums

The Review:

So in terms of this split, the focus is less on the emphasis of doom and sludge, but rather a big dose of hardcore and punk.  Burning Love are a band that have been making waves since the release of their excellent album, ‘The Rotten Thing to Say’, which I have to say, is a stunning piece of work.  What do we get with this track? Well, an outstanding track for one, but perhaps not entirely what I was expecting, having listened to the unadultered brutality that is their recent album.  Rather this track to me, sounds a lot like...dare I say it, Alexisonfire?!

Hey, don't shoot me, I dig that band, they both hail from Ontario, Canada too.  However this is not the only similarity.  In fact this track could be lifted from any of Alexisonfire's recent output.  Too me, this is not the brutality I have come to expect from the band, rather a head banging post hardcore track, which during the intro, has a almost 1950's sun haze blues type vibe to it.  It is totally unexpected, however after a minute or so the band kicks in and we're off. ‘The Body’ is just a superior track, which has it's roots firmly in post - hardcore and old school punk.  It has swagger in abundance with a rock n roll garage rock feel to it too.  Yes, it might not be what we have come to expect, given the previous output in this series before, but that is not to say it is inferior.  Quite the opposite in fact.  It is a banging tune and bookends nicely, what is before and after this split. 

‘Shallow Grave’ sets the tone very highly indeed from the outset, immediately lunging at your throat like a rabid dog baying for blood.  Again, I felt the track has a hardcore punk vibe to it, with the pace of a freight train and yet it also has the tones of noise rock too.  The opening of the track sounds fantastic with a rabid blast of chord progressions which varies in tone, getting heavier and more spectacular, specifically there is this slide based riff which sounds stunning.  We get chuggy riffs too and to me the track immediately led me to compare their sound to 90's AmRep artists with its off kilter and unconventional staccato flavour.  In addition, the track is accentuated brilliantly with the din of incongrous lead guitar breaks.  Man, it has that trademark bass sound too of any noise rock band.  It is majestic and to me is the perfect antidote which controls the effect of this outlandishly brilliant track.  Stunning work boys, bring on the new record.

Band info: Burning Love Facebook | Fight Amp Bandcamp |Fight Amp Facebook