Truck Violence; "the Weathervane is my body"

 

These Canadian hard-core kids are venturing further into noiserock in their sophomore release, which finds a more angular dissonance steering the songs. The vocals are monaded and howled, as they steer the boozy sonics with a precise ugliness to create something beautiful. Some moments might not be as overtly metal as where a band like Chatpile, who crosses over into sludge, goes, but could have a similar appeal.  It's not until the song "Completed By Christy" that they dip back into their more melodic side with the hints of folk and country music peppered in. At times, this reminds me of a band like Iceage, who gradually expanded beyond their punk roots

 They more fully commit to this kind of backwoods twang on "House Caught Fire." "New Jesus" is pretty dynamic in their approach, with a more explosive lead into what might be considered the chorus, which is not far removed from Black Flag. It ebbs and flows between the more melodic guitar riff and the dense din of guitar. There is less blending of their folky side with the more intense weight of what they are doing on this album, but it is still an interesting listen, certainly heavier than their first album. But they do switch gears by pulling out a banjo midway into "Your name, it's waiting". This blending leads to a more memorable riff that answers this shift. 

The riff rings out and hammers you in equal measure on "Stomach as a tower..." with things not breaking down to a more atmospheric introspection till midway in. "Gerard, be quiet" takes the time with a strum that contemplates rather than confronts. "Kindly Wash Yourself" opens in a more subdued folk and builds into something that brings to mind a 90s indie band like Sebadoh. The chords ring out with an effective ache. What they do on this album is a continuation that works, but I am going to give it a 9.5, as there is something about the first album that made it hit with me a little more, but this one might just need to grow on me. Out June 26th on the Flenser

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November is Doom- Faetooth : " Labyrinthine"

 

This Los Angeles-based band plays a darkly melodic and sludge-influenced brand of gloomy hard rock. More metallic in their intentions than Chelsea Wolfe, but they employ an ethereal, melancholic sound with many layers. I dug the mood of the opening track, so it sets the bar high for these gals in terms of being able to maintain this kind of quality throughout.  Despite being on the Flenser, I am impressed that there is not a hipster vibe to what they are doing, as they do not shy from the fact that they are not far from being the depressed teenagers who listened to Kittie in middle school. The vocals are sung in a dramatic fashion with great production that uses layered harmonies and effects enough to pull this off.  The sludged-out tension things well into "Death of Day" is convincing enough. Harsher vocals begin to swell up under the surface more, but are generally buried amid the guitars. 

The downtrodden vibes persist for "It Washes Over," which feels like the last song they are going to be able to stick so closely to this formula without changing things up dynamically. They do back off and let " Hole" simmer a little more rather than plowing on with the bigger rumble. The chorus drones rather than hooking you, and finding some of their sonic spell beginning to falter. The harsher, drier howl of the vocal becomes more prominent, showing they are capable of going there. 'White Noise' finds the overdriven bass line driving the action. There is a more dynamic ebb and flow in this regard, allowing them not to get stuck on one sound. 

By the time we get to "Eviscerate," things are heading in a more predictable direction with a more melodic and subdued verse to provide the calm before the storm as the screamed vocals chime in to make the chorus punch. A tried and true formula that has been in motion since the 90s. In comparison, "Octiber" is more of a ballad, which works as it's jsut better songwriting. The vocals are feeling it more here. It was around "Mater Dolorosa" that things began to drone into a uniform sound that ran together, forcing me to go back and give a more careful listen to find where it all faded into the background for me. Things take a monochromatic trudge as the breathy vocal becomes the dominant narrative and a detached ghost of a perspective. Even the last song that finds a little more groove in their dense riffing falls under the banner of what we have heard from them earlier. Despite the uniform nature of what they are doign I will give this album a 9 as i like the melancholy picture it paints. Though unsure how many times i will listen to thsi album since I already favor a few bands who use this formula. 

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Chat Pile : "Cool World"

 

Expectations are high for this one as 2022's "God's Country" made it to number six on the Top 10 Punk Albums of the Year list. This album feels a great deal angrier. Where every band always says this will be a heavier album than our last, these guys just delivered. They still care about songwriting, perhaps even more so, as the almost industrial sludge beatings the album starts with give way to a more nuanced take with "Shame". The vocals are once again varied ranging from detached spoken word to growls and screams of all kinds. There is also more of an attempt at singing. The drummer is certainly out for blood as he is beating the shit out of his kit. 

A mean bass tone bares its teeth leading into "Frownland".  The syncopation is more industrial in the thump. The vocals work off repetitious chants and desperate cries of anguish,. "Funny Man" is the first song that finds things going off into a quirky angular direction though this time it has the throbbing weight of sonic malice behind it. The repetition of vocal lines finds a solid groove in the lurking tension of "Camcorder". They do not do darkness in a post-punk manner, but like a deranged alcoholic who is making threatening calls to your house. 

"Tape" finds an effective balance of all the unhinged elements they are throwing at you. The sonic sweeps of guitar color the background. "the New World" finds the band stomping at you with more raw primal chaos."Masc" clearly reflects how the band's songwriting has matured without sacrificing its edge. "Milk of Human Kindness' has more melodic elements to its introspection as the pound moves to a more undercurrent. It does build up into an angrier throb. If Captain Beefheart or Tom Waits ever made a metal album it might sound like "No Way Out". There is the feeling of being in a circus sideshow in the odd timing and eerie guitar lines. I will go ahead and round this up to a 10 as it's better than their previous album in that it packs a more defined punch thanks to the taunt songwriting. 

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Agriculture : "S/T"

These kids identify as "ecstatic black metal". I guess that is what the kids are calling black gaze these days .In many ways they are the kind of hip wanting to deconstruct the norm you might expect from a black metal band out of Los Angeles. Their mission statement is rather than invoke the darkness and macabre to embrace bliss. That is why it sounds like black metal at times , but never feels like it because the black in metal is not referring to Black lives mattering , but about darkness and hate. Anything else is not black metal, ok now with that out of the way they begin to owe more to Liturgy  by the time the first song is over , as they shed the shed the shoe gazing for a feral explosion. 

The second song employs  actual singing to break things up. I can appreciate the attempts at this. But the entire song is indie folk. They lash back into black metal with the first part of "the Look". It sounds like cats are being skinned in a hurricane. The chaotic middle section does not discourage this comparison. The part two this song trilogy sounds even more like Liturgy down to the ringing tone of the guitar that does not work off the normal black metal tremolo picking, if you try to deny this you just do not want to hear it as it's in your face. By this time we are in the meat of this album's metallic aspirations, and they go to prove bucking tradition is fine and well, unless nothing is wrong with the tradition. I am someone who does not want to hear the same old black metal blast beats, and both Deafheaven and Liturgy are two of my favorite America black metal bands. But like the funk, metal is something you can not fake. 

I was over two minutes into the third part of the trilogy before I realized this was not the previous song still playing. This is also when the album becomes something I am enduring more than I am enjoying, b but only one more song to press through after this . Even worse was being five minutes into the last song before realizing after the second songs all the songs sound the same. I will give this album a 7, it's a intense sonic blur that bleeds together. Interesting early on then everything becomes a blur. It is going to get hyped for sure, but little that I have not already heard done better by better bands. 

Gothtober - Cremation Lilly:"Dreams Drenched in Static"

It is interesting what happens when you search for industrial music released in 2022.  This project from the UK reminds me of a lo-fi witch house version of HEALTH. Things might even be more obscured in atmosphere here. The beats do not crunch like Health's. This album was released back in April on the Flenser, given the label's track record the here is a shroud of almost shoe gaze like atmosphere coating of these songs adds up. I like this though it is very dense, and while the point of what is being done here lies in the sound, there is still a song the noise is just coating. The song is just the creme in this Twinkie. Sometimes there is just more cream inside than others. 

Sometimes the noise gets so thick the song is buried. While it can be heard under the surface of "Body on a Lake" it floats by without grabbing my ears, though it still carries more of a melody than where "Moonlight Doses" drifts off to. This makes it almost more like an interlude than a song. The vocal melody of "Selfless" has more pop aspirations that keep it from getting lost in the swirl of sounds it swims against. Things darken on "Overflowing Velvet Tide". There is almost a post-rock feel to its sense of ambiance. Another instance where the ambiance overshadows the song. 

Sometimes a bullseye is struck even amid the expansive layers of sound, with the prime example being " I Need to Stop Blaming Myself" which shows sometimes production is what separates something like this from being a pop hit. Sure, there is the overarching feeling of melancholy which is why this album belongs here.  I will give this an 8.5, since sometimes the sound overtakes the songs, and it gets murky, but if you want something more nuanced and organic than witch house, this album will work for you. 

Scarcity : " Aveilut"

 

The fact this band is on the Flenser was enough to make me want to check them out. They are a project from Brooklyn. They refer to themselves as black metal and in some way, this is true if you are thinking of what black metal out of Brooklyn might be prone to sound like. The first song is mainly drone with some screaming under it, normally I would not consider it a song, but they committed almost eight minutes to it so they were intending on it being more than an intro. One of the blackest of black metal things about this album is the god-awful production. There is a scraping rumble to the second song. It feels more like A Place to Bury Strangers fucking around like Sonic Youth. It does get more metallic. Abrasive in the white noise they abuse you with. Their atmosphere is enough to give you a headache, 

If Liturgy took things a step further in the noise department, we would be hearing this sort of thing. But they care a little more about songs, so use restrain where this project just goes for it. Like King Midas, rather than gold everything they touch turns into a dissonant drone. The third "song" is more droning noise with screaming set against it. The drums are somewhere in the mix. The clanging dissonance of this chaos can be grating. They employ different sounds but do similar things with them. There is a slight industrial hint to the swathe of buzzing sound that cannot really be called music.  

By the time we get to the last song with has more in common with the narcotic pulse of synth wave, there is little that can be regarded as a song or music, there are abstract sounds being tortured. In scoring this album, I have to consider what is music and are they making it. If you like droning abrasive noise, then this might click with you, depending on what drugs you are doing at the moment. There is really nothing here that touches upon what I listen for in music so I will give this one a 4. 

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Succumb : "XXI"

Yes, this San Francisco death metal is heavy, but can they write a song ? This is the first question I asked, when I left the hype at home and settled in to give this one a listen. It opened with such a neck throttling blast of heaviness that the answers to this questio9n was uncertain going into the second song. The very fact they are on the Flenser, as label with a reputation for forward thinking artists means they are not going to simply be recycling Incantation riffs. There is a fair amount of chaos . Yes grind core and especially Napalm Death is an influence. The second song, does offer more mood and breathing room, than the attack of the opener. They revert back to that more primitive state of brutality on "Okeanos". The vocals begin to have equal punk snarl as they do growl by the time we get to this song and they are better for it . This also aids in the songwriting process.  They do this but do not relent in hammering you with the aggression. 

With "Smoke" it is interesting how the open chords ringing out in the guitar that opens the song seems to pick up where they left off with the previous song, but then they lock into a heavier chugged riff and go in a different direction.  Still very dense and heavy with little interest in melody , what they are doing some how works just fine for me here. They close "Graal" with a really strong riff, so the song goes some where, there is just a mire of more uniform sounds leading the way to get there.  They do have the fact that they are dark, emotive and organic going for them which leads to sonic heaviness.  Cheri does succeed and finding enough heft to her voice that she becomes gender neutral in her delivery. At least for the most part. The quick two minutes burst of song that can be found on "Aither" not only high lights their grind core leanings , but works as they might burn you out with too much of this kind of ear beating.   

At first "Some" sounds like it might get hindered by adhering to closely to the confines of their established sounds , which do lay well within the bounds of death metal. They give into lapses of speed driven obsession , doing their signature ringing of the riff  to give things room to breath and go back to business as usual. They are good at what they do , it isa very well groomed one trick pony.  I think by the last song it is evident that I was grown comfortable with what they do, and every song then does not have to be their best. Some of this is just the compromise that seems to be made given the bulldozing nature of their sound. The angular parts might not be whatever death metal band does but they are hitting the notes the have perfected on their sophomore album, even if no new ground is broken in this sonic grave yard.   I will give this one an 8.5, due to the one trick pony aspect. 

Midwife - "Luminol"

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Droning shoe gaze dream pop with smart lyrics opens the first song. Less is more here as melody and ambiance are given enough room here so when the pulse comes in it all works together. The lyrics are pretty clever as well. But will all of these elements still work if what you see is what you get here? Can this sort of thing make this sound work for an entire element or will it fall dynamically flat ? . The second song does not offer a clear answer for this , thought guitar is added and gives more movement, there is a sense that this could be an extension of the first song. 

I am a little confused with "2020" it is basically a cover of "Gone Away' by Offspring the only thing is rather than covering the actual song it is just the chorus, it works in a weird way but I am mixed on the principle of it. Part of me is like ... if you are going to cover a song then just commit and do it. "Colorado" finds her doubling down on the sound, more than the song. It is surreal and dreamy with heavily effected vocals blending their sing song chant in amid the minimalist strum of guitar. There are other layers of effected guitar that creep in , but as far as dynamics go it just kind of works off this throb. 

"Promise Ring" runs of a simple drone of piano and the distorted sing song chant of the vocals, which does have a quirky charm to it in some sense, but when it comes to songwriting, really just runs off one trick. The song does transition with new sounds added, but no other compositional shift like even from a verse to a chorus until the Jesu rock kicks in at the end which is a key selling point. The drumming is pretty decent here. The last song is similar to this one, though the faint breathy melody is not as interesting. I tried to reserve judgement until more layers of sound were added. .But they never really go anywhere so I am left to sit in my disappointment . Overall for what this is the album is an easy listen , if you just let yourself get lost in the sound and do not think to much on the lack of actual songwriting, for this reason I will round it down to an 8.5, which is still better than most. It makes sense this is being released on the Flenser.

Sprain : "As Lost Thought Through Collision"

This could be called many things. Art punk the tag being brandished now. Less punk and moe like the indie rock college radio played in the 90s , though this has more of an edge to it. It has many sides as it's also dissonant math rock with a melodic spirit. Not conventional in terms of hooks and song writing but enodwed with a charm of it own. I miss this kind of thing. In some way it reminds me of King Missle. More abrasive. Slow core is another sub genre that could apply., When I think of that however I think of Low, and this is more intense and lingering rather than wallowing in that kind of mood. They are slow and minimal on "My Way Out " , but the punch out sonically from this in a very dynamic fashion.

"Worship House" is not punk, but it has momentum. I like where this song goes as they are not working off formulas.The vocals eventually becomed screamed and the song goes into chaos. Then they go back to a more aggitated version of their normal state. I sometimes complain about noise. That does not mean I think it's not a useful tool as these guys prove they can paint well with it. The bass gives "Everything" a plainitive groove. They have a grungy recklessness to how they beat their instruments and explode into angry sections. Things actually get heavy in a more sludge manner by the end of the song. In this 15 minute song they manage to batter you in a much heavier manner than you ever saw coming. Some of the droning feed back after the nine minute mark could have been trimmed back


The last song 'Constant Hum" does have a grunge tinge to the way it snarls. The downtrodden mood has a Nirvana feel to it. These guys and girl really surprised me I like them much more than I thought I would. The album grew on me. It is one of those albums I cna leave on an let play even with all the abrasive elements in play. I will give this album a 9, it appears the Flenser did it again and continues to have a stable of bands that are uniquely cut from a different mold.

Mamaleek : "Come and See"

This album was recorded live with no overdubs. This contributes to it's raw feel. I hear the words black metal being thrown around with this project and I do not hear that. Noise rock with metal intentions and math rock execution? Yes. There are blast beats, but that alone does not make black metal. Three minutes into the song it does seem they would like to go in that direction, but black metal is all about feel rather than just playing the notes. Metal is like funk you can not fake it. Do they have some intellectual frustration they are venting in their music? Yes, but that does not equate darkness which is the prime ingredient when it comes to black metal. That is not to say the live presentation they are offering here is not impressive. It marries many dissonant and interesting sounds together with aggression these parts my not have on their own. Six minutes in the vocals have a more punk howl to them. I think going with punk would put you closer to who they truly are.

Sometimes musicians are the last to know who they are . There is some great guitar playing here. I think if they had a more honest look at what they are doing and put their intention behind it then the sound would become even more focused. This however is their 7th album so if they do not know by now they intention is hide this fact from themselves. The second song leans even more toward jazz with these sludge punk outbursts raping it. I was just listening to the new compilation by Street Sects that showcased their more spastic exploits. I think the pre meditated chaos these guys are creating works better due to the very organic way they are jamming out these songs. I would like to hear Street Sects do something similar, though I do not need for them to be jazz in any way. They are both label mates on the Flenser. This project lines up with the Flenser's mission statement. They bring music that is out of the box. In fact they might have never tried to put it in a box to think out of.

The songs are not short, but even then they take them to many different places. Not much in the way of droning going on. If anything it is ADD. 'Elsewhere' kind of runs out of the previous song. It is more deliberate in it's pacing. It dawned on me during this song that the singer's voice at times reminds me of the guy from the Murder City Devils, if he was covering GG Allin. Any medication they might have taken before this session began is clearly worn off by now. Whatever they take meds for I am sure that since they are brothers it's genetic and seems to have stricken the singer worse. 'Whites of the Eyes " is yet another song that seems to emerge from this jam. Jam is certainly a better term for what they do than conventional song writing. I can hear a touch of Captain Beefheart in the way the vocals rant. 'Street Nurse ' breaks the jamming trend and comes across more like a song that stands on it's own two feet. There is a still a very feral quality to the way they brood with the groove here. If Tom Waits totally lost his mind I could hear him doing something like this on an angry drunk. The guitar builds into more of a rock swagger here. The last song takes the Neanderthal anger and sets it against simmering jazz. There is the surly anti-rock sentiment of early Swans also casting a shadow here. I will give this album an 8.5, I enjoy it, but I also enjoy all of the other influences or artists of a similar midset I mentioned throughout this review so that might make me more tolerant of some of the madness here.

Midwife ; "Forever"

Here is an interring album by Denver based multi instrumentalist Madeline Johnston. She has more of an edge to her lyrics than the dreamy haze of the music she sings in a breathy tone over. Sonically falling somewhere between the slow core of bands like Low and the shoe gazing of the 80s. Not as dark as say Chelsea Wolfe. More like Cat Power on harder drugs. I often complain about bands having more focus on a sound than songs these days, but her sound works with the song. It's a simple drone , but catchy enough to keep my interest. There is a melancholy maze around the sentiments of keeping 2018 the fuck away from her. "Anyone Can Play Guitar" is not a Radiohead cover. It has more of a rock n roll shuffle to it. The guitar is strum with a grunge distortion not unlike many of the indie rock bands from the early 90s who were more rough around the edges than the indie rock of today.

"Vow" breezes past. It might as well have been the intro to the following song. Very minimalist arrangement. "Language" is almost to swept up in the wind of it's own atmosphere to be much of a song, yet stays pleasing to the ears . "C.R.F.W" focusing on what might be sample of a teenage reading from weird social speculation. It sounds like something William S Burroughs might have written, The kinds of tings I pondering when on a bunch of acid. Four and a half minutes later actual music begins to simmer to life. When it does come to life, it's idea of life is a droning pulse rather than creating an actual song. This is on the more experimental side of post -rock. If you smoke a ton of weed I am almost certain you will love this album.


The album closes with "S.W.I.M". This is closer to shoe gaze. A minimal programmed beat. The vocals are draped in effects that set them back into the mix. They still manage to hold melody. This melody is what makes this song work . I will round this down to an 8.5, as it could be more focused on the songs than the drone, but over all the album works for what she tried to accomplish here.  If can see the metal press giving this a nod as she throws the word metal around in describing her sound, but be forewarned if that is why you are interested , there is nothing metal about this. That's ok, there doesn't have to be just have reasonable expectations when you sit down to listen to it. Once again the Flenser proves themselves a label who delivers the goods. Different than their other artists , but she would be at home on a bill with any of her label mates.

Wreck & Reference : "Absolute Still Life"

Saying I have been a big fan or these guys might be an exaggeration of admiration. I began following them when they released "No Youth" back in 2012. Since I have typically made it a point to check out and review their releases since. Am I enough of a fan that I would leave the comfort of my house to see them if they came into town ? It would really depend on who they are playing w ith and unless money was flowing like wine at country club, not likely I would spring the 20 bucks on a shirt. If you have read this blog on a some what regular basis you might predict which bands that would happen for. The new album does interest me as it seems to be a darker turn. Imagine if Andy Dick was  making a goth album it might sound like the opening track. I know I brought up the King Missile comparison on the last time I reviewed these guys, but it is back. There is more going on and it's more experimental and dynamic.Things begin to take an even darker tune with the somber musing of " Eris Came to Me at Night' . I had to give this one a second listen,as it is very subdued and works of a murmured narrative.

 I really like the cold robotic groove to the surprisingly melodic 'stubborn lake"   The go back to the more King Missle sound on "What Goes In and Comes out". It works but not the best song on the album as I prefer the previous song. Heavy is not a currency they are really dealing in on a regular basis , but comes closer with the anguished vocals of  'what IS A Gift. "."in uniform" is almost more atmospheric than a song, since these guys stock and trade is all manner of weirdness I will let it count as a song.  "Dumb Forest" is an interesting commentary on sexuality. It's back in the King Missile mode , but the lyrics make up for a great deal.  I am big on lyrics and a song that might not win me over in and of itself, can tip the balance with good lyrics. "Amends" is another timid song that sound like Bright Eyes on harsher drugs and what ever Conner does. He comes closer to singing singing here. The beat is minimal and jagged. These lyrics are more self depreciating and not as appealing to me. 

The album ends with a denser heavier sound, but heavy in the same way Xiu Xie, can be. Only marginally darker than previous songs. It goes progress into atmosphere. I will give this album an 8 there are a couple songs I really like, but it is not likely I would listen to it on a regular basis if it was in my iPod, if you are a fan of the more avant garde, post industrial scene,tho would be a since addition for shuffle mode in following up an album like new Pinkish Black.Being relased on the Flenser.

Elizabeth Colour Wheel : "Nocebo"

This band of Boston hipsters  sounds like they should be from Brooklyn in how they blend all the coolest genres the kids in the coffee shop are talking about. The core of the first track is post-punk, with shimmer bits of post rock that has black metal aspirations though is neither dark or hateful enough to reach that . I know my tone can confuse people at times, so all of that doesn't mean I don't like it. In the swirl of sounds is something unique.  In contrast to the sonic chaos that erupts on the opener the second song is so atmospheric it is not even there . To the point that it sounds like Sigur Rios just warming up. So for the sake of scoring the album for this review I am not going to count it. The same can be said for what is also listed at the 6th track on the album.

There are some interesting guitar tones abound. There is more of a clanging jangle to "03:32".  Shi's vocals have more form and function on this song and remind me slightly of Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeah's. The song itself has more of a grunge like drive , to which she forms a more conventional rock melody over .Three minutes into the song it collapses into noise, and then slowly ebbs back up.Shi goes up into her higher register for "Life of a Flower". The music behind her is pretty minimal leaving her vocals to hold it together like a Jeff Buckley out take. It does build back up into something more dynamically powerful.  The weird factors begins to wane by the time we get to "Hide Behind". So the sonic curiosity is less novel now and I hone in on songwriting. This song benefits from the fact it's darker and we hear Shi is able to unleash harsh screams. She lets her voice crack into them and they are the exception rather than the rule.

"34th" is heavier and more driven, but from a song perspective, it's also more abrasive and less form like Yoko Ono jamming with the Jesus Lizard. "Head Home" finds them puling it back together to write a real song. It has shoe gaze elements, but this or really none of the songs would call shoe gaze, as this is indie rock infused with post-punk, not unlike Sonic Youth. I'll give this album a 8.5 and see how it grows on me. It started strong , but some of the noisier moment detract from what would otherwise be a high water mark of familiar sounds turned into something special.

Gothtober - Street Sects : "the Kicking Mule"

The Texas duo returns with a more aggressive effort, even when the vocals are not harshly screamed the sneering death rock like tenor spits out dirty pictures of humanity in his lyrics. They get a little more manically frantic on "Birch Meadows, 1991". The vocals remain more composed almost to the point he is singing a different song than what they recorded beneath him. This awkward juxtaposition somehow still works to some extent. Though those more chaotic moments are not the strongest when it comes to song writing. They manage to pull chaos and songwriting on "Chasing the Vig". The guitar is hard to make out from the equally jagged synths. The beats are often more angular than not, not attempting to find the kind of grooves industrial music latches onto.

"Suicide By Cop" wins by the sheer charm of it's clever and emotive lyrics. The music works with the vocals to almost create something more accessible. I like the use of samples on this album, it makes listening to it as a whole flow really well, even though that is not the way most people digest music these days. There is more of a post-punk feel to "Everyone's At Home Eventually". Lyrically it seems to be reflecting on his teenage years. The beat is stronger and has more slink to "Dial Down the Neon" it reminds me of something the Faint might have done. Granted it's more aggressive than the bulk of the Faint's work, perhaps not a few of the songs from "Danse Macabre". This song has a wider range of dynamics than some of the albums typically more spastic moments. The album's strongest song might also be the one that comes closest to industrial as "In For a World of Hurt" balances the pound with passionate melodies.

The guitar takes a more prominent role in the some what darker "Before It Was Worn". The vocals more commanding in some of the exclamations. Things take on more of an industrial clang with the glitchy jerk of "Still Between Lovers".  The lyrically  this sounds like a serial killer's ode to dating. The album closes with "the Drifter". This has an almost more conventional beat. Vocally the refrain of "You can bury me alive" hooks you in and with all it's bizarre sonic clamor it some how works . I will round this one up to a 10 as it's a compelling listen that continues to draw me in. 

Bosse de Nage : "Further Still"

The opener starts off with a frantic blasting chaos that sounds like the drums were being tossed down a flight of stairs. Then it smooths out into a more deliberate pounding. The vocals are screamed but in more of a punk manner. There is nothing black gazey about this album it's more like hard core with a touch of black metal. Keeping with punk song writing the songs are short and to the point rather than sprawling ten minute drones. The vocals remind me of some of Converges more coherent moments. The first actual lyric that catches my ear is something about debasement. But if you have read my work with Cvlt Nation this should not be a surprise. "Crux" does little to change my mind about the conclusions the first two songs brought me to though I like the more dynamic trade off of tension. It hits me like more of a hard core trick than black metal. So from this point on in the review I am going to avoid referring to black metal altogether.

"Listless" opens up more sweeping sonics before things get nasty again. This going to be the hard core record that all the hard core kids are going to sleep on.The bass tone on this album is generally on point and I like the fact that it strays from the typical metal tone, which I guess it should since this is a hard core album. "My Shroud" really high lights this fact with it's atmosphere. When their drummer isn't throwing his kit down the stairs he really kills it. Though they begin to get mired into the speed of things. They don't let up on "Sword Swallower". There a few pounding accents and I'm waiting for a breakdown.Sure it's mean, but I know these guys can do more as song writers. "Vestiges" picks up pretty much where the previous song leaves off.  Two minutes thankfully there is some trade off and the bass holds things down.

They go from fast to faster as they close the album with the uber intense "A Faraway Place". It works just off the merit it's so in your face, which is a lot for an album that is so aggressive and driven. This album doesn't take as many chances as "All Fours", but it's about par for the course in that regard when it comes to hard core. I'll give it a 7.5 as it's a little one dimensional, but if I went into the album expecting hard core then I might have rounded it up to an 8.

Mammalek : "Out of Time"

This album is so weird , the boundaries of these songs is loose . I found myself on the third song after having no clear definition where the first two songs began or ended. It is a darker form of post-rock clouded with angular gloomy and vocals that moan and growl. They are never really the focal point for of a background narrative. The guitar is mainly clean and almost jazz like. "God is the Irrational Number" comes out of it;s dreamy guitar drift with a swirl of effected vocals hypnotizing you. The used of more aggressive vocals just feels like some one is being driven crazy rather than roaring at you like a monster. This approach might be more unnerving as it sounds more like someone walking into the studio and cracking. The guitar playing is not metal , but it is polished. In fact there is not much about this album so far that actually is metal. Things get tense at times but not heavy.

Their is a little more growl to the narrative on "Recompense is Real". Its more like a growled spoken word as it's not following the beat of the song. Then is left to rant alone when the music drops out. I like the more sweeping dynamic build that comes after this and how the tension darkens it. This brings what might be the album's first metallic moment. "Doomed Beast" almost sounds more like a heavier take on a Tom Waits song. The guitar continues to flow smoothly under the organized chaos being called a song here. There is more of a groove to " Out of Love" ,but the weirdness plays against it until flowing into a bizarre middle eastern atmosphere. These guys get credit for keeping me guessing and having a dynamic range of sounds. "Where Is My Friends House" starts of strong with an undeniable groove that they give over to atmosphere. The lyrics all seem to be very abstract as well. This is not metal at all, but what it is could be hard to lay a finger on as so many odd elements from jazz to post-rock are colliding.

Sometimes the odd pairings of styles are more effective than others as I question the funk of "My Master, My Father, My Author". It just breaks the dark and surreal mood this album has already established. Things begin to fall apart as the weirdness eclipses what made these songs work on "the First is Last" . "Almost Dead Dog" has a more melodic emo feel to it's dreamy sway. "Absolute Knowing" sounds like something from a Faith No More album even with the more gurgled death metal vocals. It does conform to a more traditional song format, instead of just wandering around. The last song is pretty much just an instrumental outro. I'll round this album down to an 8, as some of the noisy parts detached you from what was really going on, but over all this is a pretty dark and adventurous album.

Echo Beds : "Buried Language"

In the modern revival of what for lack of a better term we might call hipster industrial, since gone are the Hot Topic like trappings that once draped the Cleopatra records wave of these bands in the 90s. These guys are heavy , At the same time they are noisy and lo-fi. Most of the songs seem to work more of a drone than to really have a wide range of Nine Inch Nails dynamics. I supposed this could play off the drum programming. One thing I like about this resurgence of Industrial is that if you took these guys, Youth Code and Author& Punisher none of them sound the same. Things get darker on the title track. When I first heard this album it was late at night and I was tired. Upon that listen I heard more of a black metal influence in the vocals than I do now as I type this with my first cup of coffee in hand.

"Small Print" is kind of lost in the noise and I had to listen to it a few times to make out if it was an actual song. Rather than listen to it a fourth time I decide it's not an movie on. "The Flaw is in the Design" is as it works off a very defined guitar riff.  It's overall slower and more brooding. By the time we get to "So Many Ways In" it's clear that this projects prime object much like Godflesh before them is not to make you dance but create brooding throbs for the apocalypse to come. With that said their is almost a dancey pulse to the song after this , but in the same way that even the more angular rough edged Skinnyt Puppy can be danced to. "Only Surfaces" also finds it's own opaque groove.

"Access Control" gets darker and finds this project going down the bleak and blurry path that Skinny  Puppy first struck out upon. The difference being in some ways this reminds me more of old Swans as they are once again running off a dark throb. The album ends with their most conventional take on industrial as the beat captures a more defined groove. That is not to say they have abandoned the identity already established on this album. It still contains the unnerving layers of jarring atmosphere. I'll give this album a 9 and see how it sits with me. If you are a fan of industrial , but not tied to the idea of it having to sound like Ministry then it might be worth your while.

Ails : "the Unraveling"

I liked Ludicra, but am always skeptical going into American black metal with hipster buzz around it. I instantly like the dual vocals. I normally hate that, as I want the singer to be able to do both. It works here, and there brand of black metal has hints of Agalloch in the way it sweeps through with a blasting gallop. They go into a break down with folk quality that holds echoes of Ludicra toward the end of the song. "Dead Metaphors" goes in a more blatant metal direction and seethes with a little angrier tone. The big chug in this song feels like the thrashing sludge of old Mastodon. I didn't expect them to stay neatly in the black metal box. The arrangements are very fluid with none of the transitions feeling awkward or forced.

They return to a more conventional form of black metal on "Any Spark Of Life". So conventional that while it's well done it doesn't stand out a helluva lot from all the other black metal that crowds my in-box. "Mare Weighs Down" starts off with a more mid-temp chug. The more sung vocals become more sparse as the aggression thickens. They do return on the more blast beaten blur of "the Ruin". Sometimes they remind me a little of Ragana. Two minutes into "Bitter Past" they drop from the blast beat into a chug with more groove which might not be as black metal, but is less over done these days.

This albums starts off more inspired than it ends, as it first gives us a glimpse of something melodic and original that it could be then gets mired down in the conventions of metal. Almost like they are trying to hard to be accepted as black metal. Maybe they feel since two of the members are women they have to try harder to prove themselves as being metal. This type of overthinking smothers just focusing on the songs. They are great musicians and this project while it falls short of Ludicra in terms of originality does succeed where many American black metal bands fail. That doesn't mean it really warrants the hype around this album, it's well done , but not the best I'll round it up to a 8.5.

Low Estate : " Covert Cult of Death"

The album title must refer to the fact that despite the hipster marketing, this is death metal mixed with Amp Rep styled noise rock more than it's hard core or black metal. There are touches of black metal influences in the guitars , but not enough to make these guys actually black metal. I originally checked these guys out because the drummer from Sannhet is in this band, but they do have a powerfully heavy sound. The fact they deliver this pounding with more smarts than the average death metal band speaks to their strengths in terms of how they have crafted the over all sound.There is a more sludge like tempo to "From A Sliver Tongue". There is a dissonance to their aggressive chugging that keeps things interesting.

There is a smoother more melodic groove to "Comfort In Futility" which is the first song that really sells me on their brand of death metal. There is still a chaos to it. There is more attack on "R- Complex" to the point of going into blasts. Sung vocals eventually crop up on this song. They just call out ominously in the background. A cleaner guitar tone opens up "Circle of Error". The bass tone is pretty fantastic here and the song has a darker creep possessing it. They border black metal here , though dipping their toes into it even to this extent doesn't make them a black metal band. "Days of Days" is more of a full frontal assault. The sung vocals come back in with a Swans like baritone.  Dwid from Integrity joins in on the more Converge like metal core of "Masked Illusion" which works with with it's jagged dissonance.

The mean ass bass tone gives heft to the riff going into "Forced" . They are like a more rabid version of the Jesus Lizard here. The more spoken vocals give a more post-hardcore narrative to this brand of hybrid metal. Three and a half minutes in and its hard to not nod your head to this. There is more of a whiplash to the mean spirited stomp of "Shame". One thing these guys have going for them is they don't drag the songs out .Instead they cram a great deal into each punch these songs throw. I'll round this up to a 9, despite having the feeling I might not get a ton of mileage out of this one. A lot of bands these days thrown genres together to create this kind of hybrid these guys do it in a way that still feels like the own it.

Street Sects : "Rat Jacket"

The first thing that grabs me with this is how far the vocals have come. This puts it more in the realm of many of the industrial influenced bands from the 90's who were not industrial, but dark and gothy with drum loops fortifying the drums...think bands like Stabbing Westward and God Lives Underwater. The vocals even go in a almost Jane's Addiction direction some places when a note is sustained. The influences are all over the place though as some of the grooves even remind me Fugazi. The vocals to go into harsher yells and growls when the dynamics call for it. While this is not as organic as many of the band's whose names have surfaced this far in the review, they are invoking more of an organic feel than what was actually going on in the studio. There is a more experimental intro to "Total Immunity". The vocals pretty much hold it together as the arrangement oddly shifts in a very chaotic fashion. I think samples are used very well in this album, and add to the atmosphere, though I obviously have a soft spot when reminded of music from this era.

There is almost a Marilyn Manson like feel to the aggression and attitude of " Early Release". The vocals are passionate , but not goth. The pounding this song locks into is both original and heavy, though in that sweet spot I love where something is heavy sonically and emotionally , but not metal. Two minutes into this song it has already taken through the fun-house once in it's herky jerky arrangement. I can hear how Skinny Puppy also has an influence in how the song just shifts into other parts. It may or may not be real drums on this song, though the fact I can't tell means even if they are programmed they have done a good enough job of fooling me that it is a mute point. There is a moment of ambiance going into "At Least In Prison I Had You"  before going into a militant post-punk beat that contrasts the croon of the vocals. The guitar is adding odd angular melodies on the edges of the song as it continues to stomp along in a jarring fashion.

Color me impressed as hell by the growth this project is showing on the ep. I'll round it up to a 10 now, I think the elements that hit me in weird ways in certain places is just more of a matter of me getting used to what is going on here. I know I can leave this album on and let it play repeatedly and wish that there was more here than just these four songs, but I think it offers promise in terms of what we can expect from these guys. This comes out October 6th on the Flenser.