30th August 2026

Review: “Self Titled” by Lifeswallower

A project that began life with the idea of playing 1990’s Death Metal covers on a casual basis, Lifeswallower soon outgrew its modus operandi as rehearsals evolved into a different beast. Having a myriad of influences and a wealth of experience, the quartet began to write original material, focusing on song writing and dynamics without borders or boundaries. While Benedict Harris-Hayes drums were recorded with Joe Clayton (Desert Storm, Pupil Slicer, Conjurer) at Nø Studio in Manchester, all other instruments and vocals recorded at the band members’ home studios, giving them the opportunity to take their time and develop the material.

Joining drummer Benedict Harris-Hayes in Lifeswallower are guitarist Tom Humphrey and bassist Ben Ottridge with all members adding vocals to those of lead vocalist James Moffatt and while they may have a mutual love of Death Metal, they promise that influences from Progressive Metal and Thrash can be heard within their cryptic writings. Those begin with “Defy My World” which has an undeniable Death Thrash inspired opening riff that bleed into brutal death growls from Moffatt. The quartet then give the cut the schizophrenic air of insanity as all of their voices are heard in short bursts as if attacking from all directions. That evolves into a Devin Townsend inspired passage that is sublime, the instrumental interplay seriously impressive before the snap back to caustic Death Metal vocals slaps you across the face. The meandering between styles continues with well thought out transitions, a dirge laden riff and a tapping section in the final moments rounding things off in incredible fashion.

The aftermath that follows takes shape as “The Trees Hide Their Bodies” plays out and while it doesn’t have as sharp an edge, it makes up for it with a wealth of intricate moments, odd time signatures and eclectic and eccentric vocal parts, all of which are fantastic fun. It’s as if the quartet were brought up on a diet of “Are You Kidding Me? No.” era Destrage, “Ziltoid the Omniscient” era Devin Townsend and “The Archaic Abattoir” era Aborted and channel every single one of those influences into one single homogeneous entity. On paper it should sound like a train wreck but in reality its surrealist artwork of the finest kind because this record is a purposefully challenging and rewarding listen that doesn’t sit still even for a second.

An old school Death Thrash riff ignites the flame of “Abandon The Body Of Rot” which has an intense opening, the momentum and atmosphere not lost despite a transition into something akin to a Greek Tragedy with aching clean vocals. What makes the tune is the snap back into the flavours of the opening passage, Humphrey ripping through the gears with the riffs against a background of blood and thunder from the rhythm section. The shortest cut on the record it still clocks in at approaching five minutes which should tell you all you need to know about these enthralling compositions.

There is no doubt that the drum sound has benefited from the assistance of Joe Clayton but in all fairness there is nothing to indicate that the rest of the material wasn’t recorded in the same space, such is the quality of the output from the musicians own home studios. The house is bought down with the plague wind like roars in “Compound Fears“, the swirling guitars and insanity inducing clean vocals making way for yet more neck snapping groove and harsh uncleans, everything finding its place in balance and harmony despite all the odds. There are even a few keys on this one adding an ethereal quality to the soundscape and you can imagine that the quartet could easily bring in orchestrations and cinematic atmospheres should their hearts desire [8/10]

Track Listing