While undeniably melodic crust at it’s core, Burden of Beast, the first LP from San Diego based hardcore outfit, AGE OF COLLAPSE, traverses a very thin genre line occasionally teetering into the realms of related punk, metal, doom and more. Harsh vocals backed by crushing distortion give way to atmospheric, reverb laden interludes, which personify the bands complex, almost schizophrenic songwriting. Contempt for humanity and it’s deconstruction of the natural world gives life to a tragic landscape that plays out as the main theme of this powerful and inventive record.