Kill By Mouth : "Necessary Evil"

 

This British thrash band dropped this EP back in March, and I am just now catching up with them. They set themselves apart from thrash revival bands by blending some of the darker corners of the genre that it evolved into by the time the 90s rolled around. Pre-nu-metal leaning Prong can be heard in the thunderous syncopation they lock into. There is also ample hardcore influence they ride the line between in a very organic manner. The vocals howl in a baritone bark. They have a dark and commanding groove that moves them on the opening track. They do not forget to keep things at a head-banging tempo while not dumbing it down.

There is a very deliberate chug to "228". I appreciate the restraint they use as they never pour on the speed and forsake the purpose of the song, making this catchier. While I can hear the influence of both S.O.D and Sepultura here, there is never a sense of nostalgia like they are paying homage to an era. Instead of trying to capture a retro sound, their energy has been invested in focusing on songwriting. The guitar solo on this song is very melodic and provides depth rather than just spastic chaos. "Johnny Volcano" finds them getting even more melodic, as an eerie atmosphere precedes the more bludgeoning crunch that recalls post-"Seasons" Slayer. The vocals remind me a little more of Integrity here. In the closing moments of the song, the vocals are sung rather than bellowed.

They close this album out with the emphasis on groove. It reminds me of the mid-90s when the rising tide of bands like Korn caused the old guard to pivot in order to remain relevant. Clearly, it's an era of metal that was enduring. The riff shifts at the end to pound the point home memorably. These guys excelled at being true to the genre, while doing their own thing and crafting some catchy tunes that hold up against the thrash bands of both today and the golden years of the genre. I will give this a 9.5 and see how it grows on me, so highly recommended to fans of the genre looking for something new rather than jsut reheating leftovers like a band like Municipal Waste tends to do. Should appeal to fans of Sacred Reich and Power Trip in equal measure.

pst299

Static Dress : "Injury Episode"

This British band has a bigger buzz across the pond than in the States, as this dropped a week or so ago with little fanfare here. They are very familiar with what they do. It gets labelled as post-hardcore, but is closer to nu-metal as the Deftones worship is tempered by the overwrought melodies, not unlike the Used. They are energetic and explosive, but not that original, as this would have been a banger over 20 years ago. Though I guess there is a new generation of kids discovering this sort of thing. There are some interesting choices in the vocal production. The riffs are hard-hitting, and they have more get-up-and-go than Deftones do now. Though they are not solely chasing an era long gone, as they prove they can also bust out the kind of emo-blaads Chino peddles more often than not these days with their song "Adapter".

The more screamed metal core is busted out for "Nostalgia Kills," which also features the singer from Underoath, so I guess they are making him feel at home here. It works for this song, but an entire album of this sort of thing would be tiresome. By the time we get to "Hospice," things begin to sound the same, and you get the feeling you are busting out HTML for your Myspace profile. There is more of the punk side of the Used once raced off into on "lip critic' which might be the most tired style they parade out so far.

"Male Bomb" might be more impressive if I were not already a fan of Glassjaw, making these guys seem likea Temu version of the band. The guitar melody to "Dull Blade Disguise" works better, but their influences threaten to overtake them even at their most creative. There is some impressive bass playing on this song. At almost four and a half minutes, this is the album's longest song, and I am not sure if the extra time is warranted."Classic Death Pose' is more of a temper tantrum made song. There is a cool riff buried amid the chaos here. They do make the most of the s ong's two minutes.

"Adult Diamond' is a more well-written emo-ballad which seems to be their strength rather than trying to fool anyone into thinking they are hardcore adjacent."Human Props" find them splitting the difference between Glassjaw and Deftones. The breakdown is kinda cool, but a song should not live or die by its breakdowns."Treading" is one of the album's best songs as it's catchy than the bulk of them. I will give this album an 8.5, as they are talented at what they are doing; I have just already heard this back in the late 90s. Released on Sumerian Records.

pst298

Spread the Disease : " The Darkness. The Dread. The Suffering"

 Self-identifying as blackened hardcore, this Canadian band puts a particular set of expectations on itself. The vocals' scowl is black metal, as is the guitar playing that opens the album. Are there some deliberate chugs? Yes, but Watain does that as well. The production is where the lines are a bit blurred, as it is very in-your-face, with little atmosphere. For Black Metal, I like what they are doing on the opening track. Let's hear if the rest of the album can hold up. The second song, "God and Politics," finds that they are not screaming about the devil, so perhaps that is where the hardcore is coming in. It is very blasty and in your face. It does not feel as effective as the first song. There is a more deliberate riff that surfaces, but the vocals become obligatory screaming with little purpose.

The more they race through things with the fast and furious speed adopted by most black metal bands, the more they are going to lose my interest, which is why I am looking for black metal bands that are true to bringing sonic darkness but taking a different approach. They go darker and more dissonant with a deliberate riff leading the way into "Indoctrinated," which finds them exploding out of this in some more raging but also more typical. 

"Summer Wanes' is the first song with a hardcore feel going into but they blast this away. A lower growled vocal comes in on this one to balance the scowling vocal out some. The blast part gets old fast to me. There is a bit of a breakdown section, and while I am glad this is not just black metal with breakdowns, I could stand to hear more hardcore here. There is a catchier riff that comes in the final act of this one. They have a great deal of ground to make up in the last song. The abrasive beating they throw themselves into. They are decent musicians, and perhaps this might be a good starting point for metalcore kids getting into black metal. I will give it a 7.5 

pst297

Man/ Woman/ Chainsaw : "Cannonball"

 This quirky band from the UK is hard to pin down, though they have a sense of 90s alt-pop about them. Too progressive to be BritPop or Dream Pop, there are those elements in play as a violin dances around what they do whih might be simplified without the layers they have so cleverly added. The whimsy of what they do takes you by surprise, but after the first song, I began to wonder what kind of songwriters they are. This is not easily answered in "Canyons" as it is not as hooky as the first song, but is more dynamic.. So I give them a pass for the willingness to be marginally more explosive. 

The vocals are handled by three people, Billy Ward, who sings "Goddamn Lizard Man" with a smoky baritone in the vein of Leonard Cohen. Vera and Emmie handle the vocals most of the time. The guitar adds more rock to this one, but I am not feeling that it is their stock and trade. "Lighter" is a more delicate ballad. It is more atmospheric than what pop normally does with a jazz underpinning. The movement that drives "Nosedive" carries the tension of 90s indie rock, and proves they can write songs. Ironically, "Get Up and Dance" is not a dance song at all, but I like it as it's darker and moodier.

"Snake Bite" is more of an abstract ballad that feels like upbeat trip-hop that turns into more of a show tune."Flick of the Wrist" is back to a more Nice Cave-like place as the male vocals are the dominant force. It is not as dark as Nick Cave. They continue down this path but with a more rock emphasis on 'the Thing" . "Still Angry" feels like it would have been a pop song from the 90s. The last song kind of meanders, but I appreciate where they are going with it. A great deal of this album makes me think of HAIM jamming with the Dave Matthews band whichc should let you know there is no lack of tlanet here, I will give it a 9.

pst296

Bloodbather : " ANAYNGSTTA'

 

This album came out in April, and I am just now catching up with it. This hybrid of SLAM and metal core carries a great deal of deliberate groove. The vocals are sometimes a gurgled death growl, at others a higher pitched scream, and then sometimes a more spoken rap. This finds them flirting with the line between hardcore and nu-metal. Despite its clever title, "Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off" is all abrasive metallic force without anything to really hook me in. 

Then things take a wild turn as "Closed Curtains Close Caskets' is a rap song. They are more deliberately catching a groove for "Dog 2 God". This is a pounding with a purpose that I can get behind.  There is some creepy dissonance to the guitars, so the yare working on more levels than we have heard from them up to this point. The vocals are screamed, but you can still discern what is going on. They have an eponymous song on this album that is more syncopated and has a call and response between the lower gurgle and the scream, with a more drugged-out nu-metal vocals muttering in the din. There is a even actual singing which works well in this context. 

One thing I like about this album is that it is dark. The last two tracks are pretty short, so they are almost like two thoughts' worth of an outro. It is a shame because 'Consequence" has a cool that would have been fun to hear them develop it further..The tits track that closes the album is under a minute. I will give this album a 9, as they are tapping into something cool here. I just wish they would grow the songs out, as the promise is there. As is, if you are a kid looking to do your karate dancing to heavy shit, this band has you covered.

>

pst295

Die Antwoord : "Zama Zama"

 You can't cancel muthafokers from the Zef side. This album might have come out a little more under the radar since we know how the music press likes to play it safe with whatever the mainstream narrative is supposed to be, leaving actual punk rockers like myself, who give the middle finger to all establishments, no matter the side of the fence they are on, to cover this one. It's a weird one, leaning more on the electronic music side of things tahn hip-hop, though they have always been more experimental than what the idiot-appeasing assembly line pumps out. They are more atmospheric than what we have typically heard from them before, though they had begun to head in this direction.

"Tigers Don't Cry" was one of the lead singles. It's not as high energy as something like "I Fink Ur Freaky" with Ninja finally bringing it on this one, where the first two songs Yolandi carried. He brings more of an edge, and his lines carry more aggression, not to say Yolandi is not capable of bringing the tude as we have heard her go off in the past. The backing tracks are more like chilled-out 90s rave music. "Brutal" finds them building momentum and beginning to get in your face. There is more dynamic ebb and flow here. Yolandi finds herself getting marginally more aggressive. The title track has a groove that works well. 

"Hippie" is almost too happy with its techno bounce. This is the effect that smoking pot has on them these days. "Misfit" sounds cool even though the vocals are more of just a droning texture thrown in. There is a more experimental feel to this album that I respect. "UIT DE HEMEL" is more ambient, with her vocals grounding the song.. The hypnotic pulse of 'Chosen" is darker and hooks me in faster. The last song "ZWARTE"  is more of an ambient outro. I like this album, and glad they are back. I just wish there were more high-energy grooves on here and they were less stoned and more angry, but this is where they are at in life, so here we go.I will give it a 9.5 and see how it grows on me.

pst294

Vulgar Mephitis : "From Dust"

 

The atmosphere of this album's opening track feels more black metal, leaving me waiting for them to blast into the brutality, which they do on "Martyr". The gurgled vocals dominate the mix, as everyone else has a spasm under them. There are breaks of ambaince even in this, which I appreciate as it's these creepy moments that are more unsettling..They show a willingness to experiment, which goes a long way with me. Without that, I would be bored even before the first proper song was over. They are not compromising the heaviness by breaking it up and are certainly on the more extreme end of the genre. 

There is some grindcore influence, and they keep their songs typically under the three-minute mark. Though they cram a great deal in over the span of a minute. "Exterminating Prone" is a little more straightforward in regards to what kids expect from death metal these days. Their drummer pulls this off impressively, and that is coming fro ma genres where you have to be a beast to keep up, but he plays with finesse as well. There is, however, little in terms of groove in their attack. The little bit that does begin to develop gets lost in the rapid-fire shuffle of the riff.

"Scorn of My Flesh" is where things begin to blur and are not helped by the rapid-fire intro to "Gorging Green' though to their credit, this song does a better job of finding its footing. It is still a collision of sound. This is certainly death metal for the karate-kicking kids. The title track is more like Cannibal Corpse's brand of raw, bloody death metal. . This means more groove than the brutal first hammering of the last song.I will give this one an 8, it has more atmosphere than your average band of this kind.

This drops  September 11th on Willowtip Records

pst293