REVIEW: Bone Dance’s self-titled album

There is nothing like a set of music that sounds ruthless, dangerous, and perfect for you. Your liking of the band, their music, and the way they conduct themselves will make people fear that kind of energy, for it may come off as violent, hateful, and full of disrespect. They are not the target audience for that music, but they should be. Boise, Idaho’s Bone Dance have been releasing a slow but steady stream of music in the form of an early album and EP’s, each one showing the development of a band not ready to take strike, but on the attack. With the release of their self-titled second album (Meloto {US}; Throatruiner/Prototype {EU}), you will witness a successful musical assassination.

Combine the best elements of hardcore, punk and metal and turn that monster into an uncontrolled beast. Within that beast you create intelligence, patience, and sensibility. Balance these elements with confidence in knowing when to use them and when to hold back. Pack it with ten times the normal amount of gunpowder, and pull out a match. Strike and light the fuse. Run for your life, or stay there within the explosion and take in what’s to come. That is the perfect way to describe this album, and even if you’ve heard their music before, there’s nothing like experiencing new music for the first time, only to absorb it in different ways with every listen.

For one, that brutality and anger begins the moment vocalist Morgan Mechling says “wait your turn to become nothing”, and at the point you hear “nothing”, the band rips through with wicked precision, playing at a powerful pace. Within this are unique sections where it may sound like speed metal jazz or there will be portions where a rapid percussive break tears a brief-but-important hole in an ocean of heaving riffs from guitarists Kasey Richardson and Phillip Davis, and bassist Kryce Kresge. Steering things and uniting everyone in sync is drummer Patrick Santana. Together, one hears lyrics of doom, bloom, isolation and disgust but instead of dwelling in misery, Bone Dance does it in a way that sounds good to the soul because it moves the listener to want to break out of the crap and find sanity. At least that’s what I got out of the first three songs, so when it reaches “Conniver”, your throat has already been slashed. Move into track 4, and the band have decided to add some unique twists to their plan.

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