EARLY GRAVES

Red Horse

earlygraves.com

Without a lyric sheet, it’s impossible to say for sure, but the first word on the third album from these high-precision, higher-speed San Francisco metal mavens seems to be “death.” That would be appropriate, as new singer John Strachan fills a void left by founder Makh Daniels, who died in a 2010 van accident. Strachan and his steel-wool larynx keep pace with the band’s gnashing charge, and whether “Death Obsessed” and “Misery” address Daniels’ passing, they’re emotional palette cleansers—brisk aural workouts that bring sweat to the brow and reboot the brain. Fans of more melodic rock should hang in for the final minutes of closer “Quietus,” where the guitars ascend like spirits from the tomb.

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