Cannae - Gold Becomes Sacrifice

I already have the 2003 album Horror by this band. However, I know basically nothing about this band, so I journeyed over to their myspace page. The page hasn't really been updated lately, hopefully the band is still alive and well. This album was released in 2005. This Boston 5 piece (although looks like a 4 piece as their drummer position seems currently unfilled) claims they are a death metal / hardcore band... Which means just about anything you want it to today. The elements that I usually associate with hardcore (annoying repetitious breakdowns and terrible vocals) are mostly absent from the album. A couple songs get close, but manage to avoid breaking down into the usual sound that plagues terrible hardcore bands. (haha, terrible pun... I suck.) The opening track "Rats, Snakes, and Thieves" gets things rolling with a riff that sets the tone for the rest of the album. With the exception of a small acoustic break with the track of "Collapse" the record stays strong and heavy throughout. Memorable tracks are the aforementioned opening track, "Marked by Monuments," and "Bastinado" for one of the few guitar solos on the record.