August 21, 2005 | | 4

A Life Once Lost, Hunter

Having not heard the last release from A Life Once Lost, my only experience with them is Open Your Mouth for the Speechless, a compilation of their earlier releases. My initial impression from the get-go with their latest offering was, “Wow, I really dig the cleaner vocals.� And that’s what stuck with me more than any other difference between Open Your Mouth and Hunter.

Robert Meadows’ vocals, all Lamb of God similarities aside, really come through on this album. The guitars and drums are just as pounding as ever, but I think, when compared to Open Your Mouth they fit the overall sound of the album well.

I am always amazed how little I know you

This is how I feel about A Life Once Lost. I wish that I did know more about this band. And after hearing Hunter, I’m going to have to look into purchasing some of their other work.

The third track, “Vulture�, just has a great flow to it. Yes it’s heavy, but it really stands out amongst the rest of the tracks. It’s chorus just really makes this song incredible. “Ghosting� starts off crushing and keeps pounding through till the end. The vocals on it seem secondary to the bludgeoning of the instruments. Very slick track.

Aside from the aforementioned tracks the rest of the album compliment each other really well, making for a smooth overall release.

Favorite Tracks:
Rehashed
Vulture
Ghosting