Lest We Forget:Psalm Zero : "The Drain"

These guys are now touring with Liturgy. Features one of the dude from Castevet and another from Dirty Projectors.  This came out last year but is too cool not to cover.  The songs cover a ton of ground at times almost seeming like they are jumping around to suit the two vocal styles on this album. Sometimes the electronic elements work better than others. The album in general would have benefited from a darker mix. The second song winds it's way through many interesting passages, but I am not sure if it feels as effective as it did on the opener, though there is still plenty to like here. While what the band does is certainly a fresher take on certain sounds, they are not as baffling as many of the reviews I had read on them seem to suggest. But that's why I do this cause somebody has got to speak the truth. They share some common ground with Wreck& Reference on "Chaos Body" but it's a more straight up metal attack. Even after the militant shouting they manage to turn the band around an return to some dark goodness. The clean vocals could use some effect on them to make them sit better into the mix sometimes it sounds a little like karaoke. The singing creates more of a post- punk effect on "In the Dead" which is the first song that grabs me right off the bat.

In interviews I read with the band before listening to this, which is never a good idea unless you have nothing to better to do and  I am sure I  did, they said Katatonia was an influence. Which as hipster as they Brooklyn scene is surprises me. Though they did say Discouraged Ones era, so the newer more alternative stuff is too mall metal for them. The melodies are not depressing like Katatonia , nor is the singer close to Jonas. On the closing song "Meanwhile" it sounds more like an indie rock band's take on A Perfect Circle with a little more math in the equation.This was not the album of the year by a long shot and I'll give it an 8, but it might grow on me, worth checking out as some of the issues I had with the mi might not phase you.



4