This blast from 1996 rode in on the wings of the Victory Records Hardcore scene. They were more about this evil sound and not straight edge like the bulk of the Victory bands, making them my favorite. The dense distortion the Florida band used was more like sludge than hardcore. The riffs of songs like "Something Wicked" have grooves that flow like hot lava scalding your ears as it explodes from your rain. Yet even the opening track highlights what made this band unique right from the jump. The dark weird breakdown at the two-minute mark is what set them apart from the pack and gave the more punishing heaviness more effective. The throaty bark possessing the vocals is not commonplace in Sludge, but not as much when this album came out in 1996.
From a songwriting perspective "Annulment " is a concise punch at just over three minutes long. They packed lots of experimental sounds into those three minutes, while not forsaking the bulldozing groove of the song. You can hear how post-hardcore bands like Helmet influenced the drumming. If this album came out today it would seem like the next logical progression of where to go, but in 1996 it came out of nowhere. Timing is everything and this album is a case of when being ahead of your time found the band not hitting the level of success they could have. Granted being a best-kept secret was a badge of honor for hardcore in the 90s as I saw these guys play in a basement, not a club. The tense grooves could have been marketed to more of a nu-metal fanbase at the time but these guys we not about selling out.
The metal vibes of "Shell" merge with a more hard-core stomp. They are very deliberate in their attack and rather than defaulting to a one-two-three go! punk blast by stepping manically on the gas. Not a guitar solo within six feet of them, yet it is clear these guys are playing with a high level of proficiency in how the instrumentation weaves around the passage in an almost jazz-like fashion. The vocals bob around the riffs and do not follow the straightforward drill sergeant phrasing more commonly employed at this time. The pace does pick up going into the nine-minute "The Triumph", and ebbs back down with the guitar ringing out dissonant chords allowing things to simmer. The drummer might be the MVP on this album as he keeps this song together allowing them to jam around. The slithering shift of riffs is everything you could ask for from these guys. The bass in the final two minutes of the song is also impressive and displays another example of how they stood out from the rest of the Victory Records roster.
"Eucharist" is impossible not to move your head to. The riffs are almost the band's calling card. If I was going to play a song for your average run-of-the-mill metalhead to convince them this band is awesome it is the song I would choose. Though I am sure even a staunch Slayer fan might also be sold on the angry groove of "95". The syncopation owes more to hardcore than metal, though this band straddles the fence between the two a great deal on this album. Whenever I hear the last song on this album, I think how cool it could have been if they had used more effects on his voice like they do here. They did a little more on the album that followed, for what this is I will give this album a 10 as it stands the test of time.
No comments:
Post a Comment