Function Cease - Upheaval Through Hostility   

Promising death metal from up north

Hailing from Queensland's Sunshine Coast, Function Cease have crafted a strong debut EP with Upheaval Through Hostility. Though anyone would be hard-pressed to claim the band are doing anything remarkably original, they are undoubtedly very good at what they do and they do it with a ferocity that isn't often matched on a debut release, let alone by a band as young as they are.

Stylistically Function Cease play semi-technical death metal with influences from many bands within the genre including Hate Eternal and Suffocation to name a couple. Their songs are often a flurry of ideas and are chock full of riffs and the occasional breakdown or two.

There is a hell of a lot to like about Function Cease. They are more than capable of crafting a good riff, and they have not only a good rhythm section but also an extremely strong and diverse front man in Ryan Bennett. Though they don't stand out as being a unique entity in the death metal scene they make up for this with a lot of intensity and energy.

Though a minor gripe, I was quite under-whelmed by the production on this EP. Even though the sound itself was quite heavy and punchy it was also quite inconsistent and at times the drums had the habit of drowning out everything else in the mix. This obviously isn't the band's fault though I think it is something that should have been addressed before releasing the EP to the public.

Any issues with production aside, I think the band are only really being let down by some of their compositional choices. There are some pretty ugly riff changes here and there which don't necessarily destroy their respective songs but are noticeable enough that they can detract from the overall listening experience. Once the band has a chance to develop further I'm sure all of these issues will be ironed out.

Overall I liked what I heard from Function Cease and would like to hear more from the band both on the live circuit and from their next venture into the studio.

(Independent)

Added: January 19th 2007
Reviewer: Michael O'Brien
Score:
Related Link: Official Website
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