The opening barks that herald Lives Lived’s arrival offer a firm insight into the aggression that is about to unfold. That aggression plays an integral part, as Fathoms are at their best when they’re fast and furious.
The rapid pace and big riffs of Graveyards and Deathwish will have you reaching for your mosh shorts, and if tracks such as Sleeping, Dreaming offer a modicum of variety, with a scattering of clean vocals, they still retain their sense of grit.
Those aside, Lives Lived as a whole sounds very familiar, never more so than when the band rattle through the obligatory life-is-hard number, Dilated Dreaming, complete with pained screaming over the delicate guitar outro, and which stunts any momentum gained up to that point. The initial hints of power and urgency are numbed as songs blend into one another.
Although there are certainly strong moments, ultimately Fathoms’ tried and tested formula make them impossible to pick out of a Ghost Fest identity parade./o:p
