Review: “Misanthropy” by Burning The Padre

Around a year in the making, West Midlands Modern Metal meets Deathcore act Burning The Padre have unleashed their demon with their debut release “Misanthropy“. Featuring a guest vocal appearance from Josh Davis of Monasteries, vocalist Tom Knight, bassist Richard Jevons, drummer Josh Platts and guitarist duo Sean Bhalroo and Leigh Sprason (who also handled the recording, mixing and mastering), have been on our radar since they dropped their debut single “Oxygen Thief” on 1st January. So you could say, it’s been a long wait.

88 seconds of a looping Ghosts n’ Ghouls esq eerie atmospheric clean lead with a solid rhythmic backing opens up the floor of the slaughter house for the ritual blood letting with “Principio Ad Finem” an instrumental that sets the tone and leads you up the garden path with its trail of crumbs to the aforementioned “Oxygen Thief“. To say that the track is brutal is the understatement of the year as Knight comes in with the line “F***ing waste of human flesh, Everything you are is filth, I should have cauterised the wound and burned you out” straight out of the gate. The riffs are not too far away from the Jesse Ketive era Emmure sound, a dark and churning Mosh friendly and groove laiden affair. Partially a twin vocal attack with a higher pitched backing vocal in behind the main one, it’s a lethal dose of West Midlands hate. Title track “Misanthropy” features the aforementioned guest appearance from Josh Davis of Monasteries fame which was recorded separately by Dan Hill. An equally venomous attack, the tortured vocals of gargantuan proportions reach out and touch the Slam void. The higher pitched backing vocal from the opening track is given it’s own moment and your classic Deathcore heavyweight riffs switch into a downtempo groove to close in powerhouse fashion.

The halfway house sees “Spineless Lech” bring the bounce to the floor with a choice guitar drop out for a spoken passage with bass groove only before that classic big swing up to the crushingly good riffage. The kit work from Josh Platts is not only as solid as they come with big cymbal crashes and use of the whole kit, not just the jackhammer footwork, but has also been recorded and mixed really well. It’s an integral part of the bands sound and praise is due. There are also a couple.of drop off atmospheric points and a sample which just adds to the skull crushing weight of violent intent. “Desecration Of The Holy Icon” is the old school Dani Filth vocal that cuts like nails down a chalk board through the slab after mortuary slab of Deathcore rhythmic pummellings. It’s another one to feature a downtempo groove slow down at the end of a huge set of breakdowns, Burning The Padre have set their sound up nicely. “Hallucinations” climbs out of the dirt with some Tech-Metal infused riffs that add a dirge laiden point of difference and by the time you’ve got to the two step part, your mind will be blown. A choral angelic backing to the final verse gives the impression of angels calling Knight from his suffered mental anguish to his death like a siren call. It’s absolutely brilliant. “Fine Dierum” shuts the black book of the Padre with an Outro to match the Intro by expanding on the choral element of the final track and adding some programmed drum hits that sound like steal on an anvil, forging a blade [7.5/10]

Track listing

1. Principio Ad Finem
2. Oxygen Thief
3. Misanthropy (ft Josh Davis of Monasteries)
4. Spineless Lech
5. Desecration Of The Holy Icon
6. Hallucinations
7. Fine Dierum

“Misanthropy” by Burning The Padre is out now and available over at bandcamp