“Life doesn’t give anything that time won’t reclaim.”
Having made a name for themselves with a steady stream of releases since bursting onto the scene with their Hartford County Misery EP in 2017, Boundaries are now ready to present their third full-length record, Death Is Little More. The follow-up to 2022’s Burying Brightness, the record takes its title and influence from the first canto of Italian poet Dante’s Inferno. There is a poetic, almost literary flair to much of Boundaries’ lyricism, so The Divine Comedy serves as a fitting source of inspiration for the album as it grapples with some of the more hellish aspects of life such as feelings of bitterness and resentment, wrathful vengeance, or anguished self-reflection.
While the incorporation of clean vocals from drummer Tim Sullivan is still divisive among listeners, Boundaries doubles down on Death Is Little More. If you were unconvinced by Sullivan’s singing across previous record Burying Brightness or on singles “Easily Erased” and “Scars on a Soul”, then you’re unlikely to be swayed by tracks like “Darkness Shared” or “Cursed to Remember”. Soaring cleans have become a tried and true trope of modern metalcore, and while Sullivan’s vocals do lend themself to the record’s more accessible moments, don’t mistake them for some targeted shift towards mainstream appeal—that is certainly not the case here. The approach in how his vocals are used to break up the tension built across the two singles shows intention in the way Boundaries wields the more melodic elements of their sound, feeling honed and like a natural progression thereof.
But Boundaries is a heavy band through and through, and the presence of sung vocals in no way detracts from that. Frontman Matt McDougal manages to show off a few different shades of his own screamed vocals. Whether he’s going absolutely ballistic on tracks such as early rager “Like Petals From a Stem”, aforementioned single “Scars on a Soul”, or late album cut “Blood Soaked Salvation”, or mixing lower, anguished flourishes into his delivery à la “Face the Blade”, his expanded range adds to the power of his performances. Backing fry screams from bassist Nathan Calcagno complete Boundaries’ three-pronged vocal assault, with the trio working together as a consistent and impactful vehicle for the group’s heavy-hitting lyricism.
Death Is Little More also sees choice features from some of the biggest names in the scene right now, with Lochie Keogh (Alpha Wolf), Marcus Vik (Invent Animate), and Matt Honeycutt (Kublai Khan TX) rounding the record out as each vocalist leaves their mark on their respective tracks. Keogh and Honeycutt’s features on “A Pale Light Lingers” and “Blood Soaked Salvation” are expectedly pissed, with the two effortlessly matching McDougal’s level of intensity. Those familiar with Invent Animate’s work will be unsurprised to learn that Vik’s feature on “Blame’s Burden” comes with the most open and gorgeous stretch across the record’s runtime, with his clean vocals meshing with Boundaries’ sound better than one might initially expect them to.
The instrumental backdrops for these stellar vocal performances across Death Is Little More are just as integral pieces of the overall puzzle, of course. From the jagged opening moments of “Turning Hate Into Rage”, to the heady, intertwining leads on the record’s title track, or the sparkling clean tones that create space for Vik’s feature on “Blame’s Burden”—whether they’re unified in their drop-tuned chugging and dissonant swarming, or split off into alternating, complimentary leads, the guitar tandem of Cory Emond and Cody Delvecchio manage to hit every step of the way. More than just their backing vocal contributions to the group, Calcagno and Sullivan’s rhythm section makes for a complete package, with their smothering, distorted bass and crisp, roiling drum work steadily driving the record forward.
For as cutting and furious as this collection of tracks is, the emotionally-charged, confessional moments interspersed throughout help keep things tethered to the hope for some kind of silver lining that makes all the emotional turmoil worth it. “Cursed to Remember” vows to “find my love somewhere else” despite still being haunted by a past relationship. Both “Face the Blade” and final track “Inhale the Grief” grapple with self-loathing and coming to terms with one’s own shortcomings, with the latter closing the record out on a powerful note of cathartic, resigned acceptance, and with a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel—”I feel like a fuck up, I feel like a failure, but at least it’s not every day, and I am getting better.”
Death Is Little More proves to be as haunting and memorable as the experiences it both confronts and embraces. There is a certain poeticism and beauty in all its scathing, resentful glory that is as heart-wrenching as it is violence-inducing. Whether you’re an established fan of the Connecticut-based quintet, or are new to the group with this current album cycle, what Boundaries has put forth with this latest release is more than worth your time and attention.
9/10
Death Is Little More is set to release this Friday March 29th via 3DOT Recordings. You can find pre-orders for the record, as well as tickets for Boundaries’ ongoing UK/European supporting run for Spite and Bodysnatcher, as well as their own upcoming headlining tour, here.