Honestly I was expecting something akin to the technical-for-the-sake-of-it shitstorm that is Iwrestledabearonce. There's even a reference to them in the track "Bearstronauts II." God I hate those guys (and chick). Luckily this isn't the case here, and Super Happy Story Time Land know how to write some killer deathcore and death metal riffs. In fact I don't know if I'd consider these guys deathcore at all, but I can see it in their styling and on a few certain tracks. They certainly don't follow the typical build-breakdown-build-breakdown formula that most deathcore bands adhere to and aren't afraid to experiment with jazz-influenced riffing and melodic soloing. It's a win-win situation for fans of metal and for fans of original music.
Variety is a spice that Super Happy Story Time Land isn't afraid to apply liberally to every song on this album. From the odd synth break in "Victoria (The Lady Dragon)" to the intensely jazzy-turns-neoclassical "Wolfsburg Edition," to the more deathcore-sounding breakdowns on "Fishing With Dad" and "I Wanna be a Dinosaur," there's quite a few passages on here that will jump you like voracious velociraptor out of nowhere. It makes the album an addicting listen as well, and I often find myself relistening to it as of late. The band also makes their own...erm...samples, and places them sporadically throughout various tracks. "Wolfsburg Edition" ends with a long conversation about the Free Willy movie series and condoms for fucks sake. It's hilarious and a bit retarded, but altogether awesome.
The production is why I love this album. The guitars have a thick, dense tone that doesn't sound superficial as is typical for deathcore bands. The bass drums don't sound fake either which is always a plus. Instrumentally speaking these guys know their stuff as comes with all the experimentation. Funk and progressive basslines, multiple vocal ranges, intense guitarwork and soloing, it's all accounted for. My only problem with a few of the tracks is that they come across as riff salad. "Groovicorn" is the primary example here and probably the only track I don't really enjoy. The samples also get a bit less humorous after multiple listens, but otherwise the album is musically sound and worthy of listening to for any fan of deathcore or pseudo-technical death metal.
8.5 out of 10
Tracklisting:
Bandcamp ($2! Definitely worth it guys).
one of the greatest parody death metal albums ever
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