BornBroken - Am I Invisible

BornBroken – Am I Invisible
Release Date: 20th September 2024
Label: Self-Released
Bandcamp
Genre: Metal, Groove Metal, Death Metal, Thrash, Hardcore.
FFO: Chimaria, Decapitated, Testament, Machine Head, Slipknot.
Review By: Mark Young

I think from the FFO section, new listeners will have no trouble establishing just how hard they hit. In the studio, their line-up was a 3-person wrecking crew, whose focus was to write and record their most aggressive material they could.

And I think that is exactly what they have done. So, before we get into it, if those bands (Chimaria/Decapitated/Testament/Machine Head/Slipknot) do not tickle your fancy then it’s likely that you might not find a lot to love here. Effectively, it’s a 47-minute battering that kicks off with Time Pays No Respect, and it sets the scene appropriately. It’s harsh, aggressive, especially with Michael Deckers hard-edge vocal delivery set against a running rhythm that can’t help to remind of Iowa era Slipknot. As a starting statement you can’t argue with it, except that once they move onto the next, Am I Invisible, it could almost be the same song. Again, on one level there is nothing wrong with that, except that if the remainder is going to unwrap like this then it will make for a one-note affair. The band themselves are on fire, it is built on a foundation of rage, and I’ve got to call out Carlos Ojeda on drums. It is a masterclass in transforming the drums into a weapon of mass destruction. Will You Remember has a slight lowering of the tempo, but is no less destructive. The breakdown around 3.30 following the lead break is quality, and on this there is no doubt. It’s good stuff, the start and lead in section on How Strong You Are allows the switch to cleaner singing to come in and land, and it changes the dynamic somewhat, giving them the opportunity to throw a little melody in there. It’s the kind of album that is built for playing live, there is no doubt in my mind about that. The aggressive ragers, leading into this, allowing the crowd to catch a breath. As we move forward, the template set in place earlier is mined exhaustively. Conflicting Lies keeps up the head’s down brutal attack, the three synching so tight it should be illegal, whilst the starting drums on Scabs and Stars should be mandatory training for those wishing to learn extreme metal. Live, this one will cause carnage, just for the sheer velocity they attain.

Earlier I mentioned my worry about it being a one-note affair, well on the whole you could argue that it is the case. Bear with me, whilst I try to explain that. There is nothing wrong with the intensity, the musicianship or the way they detonate each song. On Fold, there is a quiet moment that is stepped on, and they begin to tear through it with some apocalyptic riffing. It ticks all the boxes that are required with metal, the songs are heavy AF and are incredibly well put together. However, the overall sound remains the same right through. There is no real change from one track to the next, you know that there is likely to be some drumnastics or furious riff being kicked about. With Fold, they open and close with some mournful guitar lines and there is certainly mileage in bringing more of that into play, but I guess it didn’t fit where they were at in terms of vision on here. They should be applauded for that too, as Age of Anger comes screaming in, that intensity as high as it was with Time Pays No Respect. If this was the final song, then they would have been signing off at full tilt, another song capable of causing mayhem in that live environment. However, they sign off with an instrumental. Now, I may have mentioned once or twice that instrumentals have a place, and sometimes you feel that they are included for reasons such as filling a space. With The Day I Died Inside, I think it’s more of a cathartic measure after all of the pure rage they have just played through. It shows another side of them and makes for a satisfying change of pace.

Ultimately, it is a solid slab of metal with no time for melodic interludes and once it gets on course, they do not deviate one iota. It’s this blinker on approach makes the album as strong as it is and yes, I know I said it had the same sound right through but if you put that to one side, and embrace it for what it is then it is a powerful statement of intent.