This post-punk band is compromised of current Discharge vocalist Jeff Janiak , Stig C. Miller of Amebix , Ministry drummer Roy Mayorga and JP Parsons handling bass duties. What sets them apart the typical Joy Division worship that haunts a great deal of the bands resurrecting this sound over the past decade is the roar of Janiak, that brings more balls to the proceedings. The songs are driven by a stormy tension. It conjures images of stark gray skies, and makes for a fitting soundtrack as the first vestiges of fall unfurl. The guitars have more heft to their sonic attack, than what you might expect from this sort of thing. "The Tyrant Dies" finds an increasingly aggressive mood settling over their sound.
"Echoes of Compromise" has a still Death in June feel during the verses, but the explosive chorus really balances the dynamics. The album's best song might be "the Big Sleep" that finds things not only brooding in a darker direction, but gaining a more metallic groove with a riff that is hard to not head bang to. The chromatic creep bears a great deal of menace. Roy's drumming is the chef's kiss to it all. Not what I expected going into this album, but that is half the fun, even though they are deadly serious throughout this album. They keep the momentum going with "Dread Necessities". This one has a more Killing Joke like feel.
"Mass Debate" finds the ominous atmosphere of the guitars well layered over the thud of the bass line. There is much more of an ebb and flow found in the arrangements than what you might expect from a punk band. They end the album with the spoken word musing of "the One Thing We Can Not Avoid"/ I will give this album a 9.5, I think they occupy a much needed space in the musical spectrum to fill the void left by bands like Alaric and Atriarch, who made heavier post-punk. Heavier than Alaric , not as metal as Atriarch, but worth a listen either way. Out on Neurot Records
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