Self-belief is a hell of a thing, however, and Paleface Swiss have enough chutzpah to keep listeners hanging on from a largely ill-advised first half into a much stronger second. Youth Decay blasts by in a colourful blur, quickly counterpointing a barrage of beatdowns with more swashbuckling six-strings. At 100 seconds, My Blood On Your Hands stretches its percussive concept right to breaking point.
Love Burns is easily the best song on offer, mixing elements of melodic death metal into more violently offbeat nu-metal riffage and spinning off into a chest-beating, lung-busting final third that’s pure power metal. By tearstained, unabashedly overwrought final track River Of Sorrows – a confounding marriage of melodrama and machismo – there’s little choice but to just go with it.
Whether Cursed has what it takes to continue the unlikely rise of Paleface Swiss will ultimately come down to the patience and open-mindedness of their fans. But come whatever may, they can hardly be accused of holding anything back.
Verdict: 3/5
For fans of: Spite, Kublai Khan TX, Slipknot
Cursed is out now
