Artist: Slaughter At The Engagement Party
Album: I Killed Everyone, Will You Marry Me?
Genre: Deathcore
Label: None

Having the ability to stand out amongst the legions of cookie-cutter bands has become a difficult task, even for more established bands, but that ability is amplified for new acts that are relatively unknown. Only being together for merely a year Slaughter At The Engagement is a one of those new acts just trying to break through the mold. Hailing out of Szeged, Hungary they have amassed a loyal fan base through local shows and a home made demo. On their newly released 5 song EP, I Killed Everyone, Will You Marry Me?,they easily fall into the deathcore genre with little to set them apart from their counterparts but will hopefully be enough to carry them through.

Opening with a theatrical soundscape “If It Makes You Feel Better,” resembles something that was pulled from a horror film or could easily be in one.  The scared crying and haunting aura was suspenseful and is just a taste of the assault the rest of the record has in store. “Hang ‘Em in the Front Yard,” is one of the noteworthy tracks. Throughout the album they have quite a few catchy groove sections and one in particular lead directly into a rally of chants, which was a memorable move.  However, after the gang vocals shouted “Eat more f***king rice, right f***king now,” I was confused and curious how this fit in context with the rest of the lyrics, only to find out it didn’t have a real meaning and the rest of the lyrics are just as atrocious. The line, “They just sweat like bitches in the carwash as they hang and lie in the sun. By this time they get sunburnt like the black cowboys,” is horrific and only led me to not take them as serious on a lyrical level.  After a slow, trudging groove the song ends with a familiar deathcore trend, pig squeals, but thankfully, they don’t overuse them.  Vocalist Barnabás, interchanges between deep growls and higher shrieks, while they aren’t extraordinary they are satisfactory. His lower registered vocals are the most powerful during “Horror Choir of the Crows,” which happens to be the most impressive track. An elaborate technical guitar riff instantly grabs your attention and after a cleared throat noise, you’re hit with a slow yet heavy breakdown.

Slaughter At The Engagement prove they have a few tricks up their sleeves during the finale of “Rest In Pieces,” by incorporating a rap, which I’m assuming is in Hungarian. It was a commendable risk that saved the otherwise forgettable song.  Closing the album with, “Traitor Holocaust,” it’s evident that drummer, István Simon, can definitely carry his weight in the group. His fast paced, double bass work matched with blast beats is heavy and compelling.

In the end, taking into consideration that I Killed Everyone, Will You Marry Me? is their first EP and they’ve only been together a short year affirms that they can only improve from here. The one aspect that I hope they mature on is their lyrics, chanting “you suck,” can only get you so far.

Score: 5/10

Review written by: Nerissa Judd

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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