Terminus Cursus : " On Of"

What the hell is going on in Florida? These guys from St. Pete are killing it. Here is a band that came out of no where and really got weird in an original fashion. They are heavy, but not metal, so you know I am going to be a fan of that. the vocals really take it into a more feral place, when these guys explode they come closer to a more garage rock version of the Refused, though the bass line recalls Fugazi. The vocals are more punk than not even when coasting on more of an angular groove. They really get wacky and math rocking on "Haunted" , which from the title of the song, it's not as dark as you might expect. The lower more spoken word vocals are interesting and these guys keep pulling things out from left field, to keep their sound astonishingly fresh. Staying on a more prog-minded course "Enthroned" has more of groove even for all it's weirdness. A more dynamic song than "Haunted", even though I'm not sure that the vocals are as interesting as it's more of a post- hardcore howl trying to morph into singing. The refrain of "is this what you wanted" is very effective.

There is more of a Jesus Lizard like noise rock to "Exit Strategy". The vocals are as crazy as David Yow and these guys really give bands like Pop 1280 a run for their money. The bass line winds around the song in a very dizzying pace. The last song is the longest, as the almost eight minute "Master's Ladder" closes out this album. The instrumentation might be impressive on this one, but it doesn't feel like the vocals were given as much thought as they were on the songs before this one. The guitar plays a more prominent role where the muscular sinew of the bass lines had been holding the other songs down. The lock into more of a chanted vocal that sits well against the angular build they rise into, but I think over all this song is the weak link compared to the other more awe inspiring works earlier in the album. I'll round this up to a 9.5, even though the last song didn't do as much for me I think this album as a whole is excellent and look forward to hearing where this path leads this band of very talented players. I'm a fan now.