If you go back and listen to these guys, you can hear how much they influenced Turnstile. If there was any justice in the world, they would get the kind of TikTok revival bands like Deftones and Type O Negative received. They recapture the kind of explosive magic they ignited with their first two album here. "Agency" breaks from the formula and finds the chorus going in a more melodic and introspective direction. The tempo ramps up for "Crystalize" with the vocals balancing the guitar's energy.
They pack more of a grooving punch that was their trademark on "Supercollider". The smooth vocal melodies are plaintive but commanding. There is a riff in this one that makes me think of Bad Brains. "In Full Color" has more swagger and is produced in a manner that gives it more of an older Turnstille sonic feeling. Unlike Turnstille they are not big pop sellouts. Granted, I like pop music, so that is not even a deal breaker for me.. If the mention of Turnstile finds you pondering influences, you can hear a bit of Fugazi in "Days You Run To"reminding you that music is not created in a vacuum.
"Cool Guy" has more of a the big explosive riff energy. "Moving Forward" reminds you they came from the Bad Relgion side of the punk equation. The last song finds some ofthe energy waning but they kept things strong for the bulk of the album so it blaances out and it is probaly a case of me needing to hear it a few times for it to grow on me. eNERGY WISE i think this is the best album since "Manic Compression", as the other post-90s albums have experimented with the sound that works , and even hear this is produced in a more modern manner so is not as raw , but works better than expected so I will round this one up toi a 10. Staying True to the game it was released on Equal Vision Records.
8.9
pst371
Despite being the original singer of the Cro-Mags, the name goes to Harly who is doing ok with it. This is a blessing in disguise as I do not see John Joesph straying away from the Cro-mags more New York hard core sound to make a thrashing banger like this. They title track opens with the fury of a Slayer song. Slayer always wanted to be a hard-core band after the fact, and hard-core bands wanted to be Slayer after the fact, so this song alone encapsulates this. This is hyper aggressive and in your face as any young band out there today. You would think I would go into this album wanting it to sound like "Age of Quarrel" before I can even consider this it slaps me upside the head. He uis backed by members of Quicksand, Sick of it All and Madball.
They do not let up on the second song, in fact I was starting to think was a little straightforward even for him. They continue to lead you on a high-speed thrashing assault with commanding drill sergeant vocals that rally the troops for gang vocals, as the hooky guitars pack more Exodus like punch, as it rides the hammering riff. "Save the Robots" finds John actually singing, his voice has held up really well the first riff that strikes me as sounding like the Cro-mags in on "Infectious". His also features him really singing. He carries a sneer that is trying to restraint it's disdain, before going into a higher croon.
"Relentless" is just that. It goes back to a more old-school hard-core feel, thought there are slight inflection in his voice that allow you to hear what he once did as a vocalist to certain extent. Not sure why they chose to cover a Bad Brains song, but they do. They pretty much nail "How Low Can a Punk Get" . He proves that he is one of the few singers from his era of Hard core that can pull off HR's chaotic vocal style. I will give this a 9.5, it was surprisingly more meat and potatoes hard core, but they do it well, since they invented it, the songwriting proves it.
10-Trillionaire- "Romulus"
They are not too far out of the sonic spectrum of say the more prog latter days of Mastodon. The vocals are more ambitious. They fall somewhere between Pain of Salvation and Devin Townsend. There is some belted rock grit to them. Both ambitious and catchy
Abysmal Hymns: Trillonaire :" Romulus"
If you came here for the hot girl factor, make sure you stay for the music. Many bands use the sex to sell it, here that is not needed, and the eroticism is downplayed. Perhaps it was a more gothed out New Years Day".; In some ways I was not totally off base, though it is heavier, more along the line of older In This Moment, when there was more of commercial metal core element to their Myspace fueled sound
Abysmal Hymns: Living Dead Girl : "Exorcism"
8- Unto Others - "Strength"
Idle Hands by any other name. My first thought on the change is the vocals are more aggressive which plays to their advantage. There is less of an 80s metal vibe. Not that it is shed entirely as the second song has some Iron Maidenish harmony guitar parts. The goth side of the band sits more smoothly into what they do with more of a Misfts vibe, though vocally he is more like Graves than Danzig,
Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober - Unto Others : "Strength"
7-A Pale Horse Named Death- "Infernum In Terra"
I really liked their last album they released two years ago. Up to this point I have appreciated it but did not really give enough of a listen to become a fan until the last one. There is less of the doom vibe that pervaded that album and more of an Alice In Chains flavored grunge vibe. Less rock n roll, and more intentionally darker harder rock that flirts with Hot Topic styled goth
Abysmal Hymns: A Pale Horse Named Death : 'Infernum In Terra"
6-Devil Electric - "Godless"
This Australian band is back with more swagger and attitude. Less metallic in its intentions they have come to boogie down this time around. The use a more blues-based musing when venturing into the darker corners of their sound that owe more to the Doors this time around than Black Sabbath. When the songs give her the room to weave her youthfully belted alto into less obvious melodies that this band is at it's most powerful.
Abysmal Hymns: Devil Electric : " Godless"
5-Black Label Society - "Doom Crew Inc"
Wylde's legacy is more impressive than any band on this list. however, this album shines most when he steps out from behind this and does something different. Not the heaviest album by the band, but one of the most dynamic which shows many sides of one of the best rock guitarists going today.
Abysmal Hymns: Black Label Society :" Doom Crew Inc"
4-Haunt- "Beautiful Distraction"
These guys continue to grow into themselves. I am still stuck on wanting this to be Beastmaker instead, they have fine-tuned their hooks to make this a more radio friendly version of what this was in the 80s. The guitar harmonies are even more razor sharp, creating an almost power metal feel. Hooky proto metal that is a party just press play.
Abysmal Hymns: Haunt : "Beautiful Distraction"
3-Tomahawk- " Tonic Immobility"
If you have had a hard time keeping up with Mike Patton's side projects, then this one is the closest to Faith No More, though darker, heavier and with a rougher edge since he has the guitarist from the Jesus Lizard on board and Helmet's drummer. This album is marked with an increased tension reminding me more of their first two albums. Patton's lower throaty whisper is one of the more reoccurring voices that pops up in his ever-shifting arsenal. The explosive dynamics owe more to the Jesus Lizard, as the lyrics are a collection of ugly metaphors which is another staple of Patton's work
Abysmal Hymns: Tomahawk : "Tonic Immobility"
2-the Melvins - " Working With God"
Some moments are more fun and games for them than others, finding the band doing just what you would expect them to do without being stale in the process. Buzz's voice sounds pretty good. The the chug to "Bouncing Rick" proves things are getting even more serious. The vocals are smoother, and the guitar heavier equates to everything I want from this band
Abysmal Hymns: the Melvins : "Working With God"
1- Quicksand- "Distant Populations"
They pretty much pick up where they left off though not as aggressive. They do try to hit you with grooves that are just as solid. This album grew on me with each listen and has little in the way of filler. While, they might not have the urgency of youth in their veins, they are far more consistent and inspired than the majority of bands from the 90s are today.
Abysmal Hymns: Quicksand : " Distant Populations"
Was not expecting a new one from these guys, but I will take it. They pretty much pick up where they left off though not as aggressive. They do try to hit you with grooves that are just as solid. I like the second song more than the opener as it gives the vocals more room. The same can also be said for "Colossus" . Their vocals are one of their strengths for they set the band apart from their peers. Walter has such a distinct voice that you always know who it is when he sets up to the mic. His voice has held up over the years. They approach groove differently on "Brushed" which feels more like something Janes Addiction would have done. It's odd but works. According to their Wiki, Capone is still absent from the band meaning they are doing all this as a 3 piece. This could also be why songs like "Katakana' do not have the edge the band once did.
"Missile Command" is really well written, there is a reason it was one of the singles the band led with before the album's release. It is catchy enough but far from selling out.. "Phase 90" gives even more breathing room for the vocals to be more of a focal point. Later in the album "Rodan' reminds me how Walter's voice has always seemed soothing to me. Take into consideration that I have been listening to these guys since the 90s , so there is a sense of nostalgia to when they hit certain sweet spots, but as this song shows there is still room for new adjacent sounds to be included. They hit a smooth yet more driven melody on "the Philosopher" that does not sound tied down to any musical era, which is more than you can say for the bulk of their peers.
They return to the kind of sinewy palm muted grooves that once found them not far removed from the sonic zip code of "Undertow" era Tool on "EMDR". This kind of grooving thankfully carries over into the last song as well, though the vocals help out a little more on "Rodan". I will go ahead and round this one up to a 10 because it has already grown on me and there is little in the way of filler, they might not have the urgency of youth in their veins , but they are far more consistent and inspired than the majority of bands from the 90s are today.
