Throwback Thursday: “Cover Your Tracks” by Bury Your Dead from 2004

The second album and Victory Records debut from Bury Your Dead back in 2004 saw Mat Bruso replace Joe Krewko as vocalist and a selection of songs re-recorded and re-worked from the bands Eulogy debut “You Had Me At Hello”. The songs were renamed to the titles of Tom Cruise films, the naming convention something that has followed Bury Your Dead throughout their career, with 2006’s “Beauty And The Breakdown” taking titles of fairy tales and 2011’s “Mosh n’ Roll” taking the titles of Kurt Vonnegut novels. “Cover Your Tracks” saw the release of the bands first two music videos, anthem “The Color of Money” and “Magnolia” and spawned the infamous Chain Reaction live DVD “Alive” in 2005.

Bury Your Dead are a Metal-tinged Hardcore band from Boston, Massachusetts who’s no fuss, no fat often falsely called “tough guy” or “meat head” approach singled them out for attention. The band are direct and to the point, Mat Bruso’s anvil heavy bark and intelligent lyrics lift the band while Rich Casey and Slim MacDonald tear through riffs and breakdowns that make you want to 2 step. Everything is at 110% with little nuisances that appear after several listens and keep you coming back for more, the occasional buried electronic, piano outro or suppressed riff. Indeed the tape fast forward and closing breakdown of “Risky Business” is something special. Drummer Mark Castillo (ex-Between The Buried And Me and subsequently ex-Emmure) delivers a fine performance on the kit and sets a standard for albums of the time. The re-recorded songs from “You Had Me At Hello” are given a new lease of life with the re-workings and it really highlights how much of an underrated album that was. The Mat Bruso originals add a new dimension to the emotive and thought provoking era Joe Krewko songs. Both vocalists highlight the struggles of their upbringings and there is a subtle satire in Mat Bruso’s lyrics that is brought out in his visceral vocals that separate him from the pack as a great frontman. [5]