Tau Cross : " Pillar of Fire"

If it wasn't for the fact that Away plays drums on this, I would not cover this album. This hesitation is based off the fact certain parties of the band acted like big babies after I reviewed the album for this blog and Cvlt Nation. I think the fact I am very blunt particularly in regards to a band wearing their influences on their sleeves irked the parties and the fact I continued to point this out in both review rather than kiss their ass. So here is the fucking news...this is my blog so I write whatever the fuck I want in it. If you are in a band and are ungrateful for me investing the time in your music, then fuck you.It's not my fault that I have been listening to music for over thirty five years so am well steeped in it's history. This history once again haunts the band as the ghosts of Killing Joke haunt the opening track. While this song doesn't really blow me away the fact I can draw comparisons to Killing Joke is a positive thing. If I felt these guys were being a Killing Joke tribute act then I would call them out on it, but I think there is enough of them invested in it and I like the fact some of the riffs remind me more of Voivod, than what was on the first album. If you read this blog on a regular basis then you know Voivod is one of favorite bands. Thus why I am reviewing this, along with the fact Away has always been cool with me and gracious with his time .

This album begins to show the improvements made in their sound since the first album. "Bread and Circuses" is heavier than we we heard previous from this band. There is also a more goth tinged take on post-punk with "On the Water". Away's drumming is more restrained than what he does with Voivod and allows him to indulge his punk rock leanings. "Deep State" finds the band milking the verse riff for all it's worth, and while you can hear the Motorhead influence I would say this sort of thing almost owes more to Hawkwind. They return to a darker sound on the title track. The vocals are more of a baritone croon here, shedding the rasp that typically dominates them. The vocals have an odd tone on the verses of "Killing the King". They sound better when they go down into the more familiar husky lower register. They amp things up into a more metallic direction with the pounding chug of " A White House".

They continue to use a wide range of dynamics on "the Big House". So far on this album they have their influences much more blended with their own collective identities on this album. The melody on this song has a solid hook that sticks with you. They use "RFID"  to vent some of their thrashy punk tendencies. The sung vocals come in with their dramatic baritone as the last thing you might expect over this tempo. The post-Apocalyptic throb of "Seven Wheels" has more in common with Amebix. The album closes with a song that ranges from the more folk side of neo-crust to what sounds like one of Motorhead's more power ballad moments. These guys took what they did on their first album and moved it in a heavier and darker direction with a very dynamic and varied blend of the styles that make them who they are. I'll round this up to a 9.5 as it is a huge success in terms of the album they set out to make.

10.4

Black Tusk : "Pillars of Ash"

If you like the lines blurred between punk and metal then this band from Savannah is for you. With Kylesa's Cory Barhost stepping in to fill the shoes of the late Johnathan Athon who died in a motorcycle accident. Without question Black Tusk is back with a fury. With barked vocal trade off, this is sludge amped up at warp speed. The album as a whole doesn't let up, but attacks with relentless rage. Right from the opening "God's on Vacation" which is more of a punk song than a metal song until the chugging bridge kicks in. There is more of a metal drive to "Desolation of Endless Times" , but with these guys it's commonly hard to see the line where one begins and the other ends. The riff have an almost hard core punch to them which makes sense as that's the normal cross roads where punk and metal meet if it's not thrash. The first riff that bears a hint of Motorhead is on "Bleed on Your Knees" the vocals take a more punk approach one they grind into the verses. The opening riff to "Born of Strife" reminds me a little of AC/DC , but from there is muscles ahead in a straight forward fashion cramming a ton of mean into three minutes. Born of Strife " really finds the point pounded home before being lashed against the rabid punk speeds the band accelerates to. 

Sometimes the punk side really wins out like on "Damned in the Ground" which I don't find as compelling as when the  band's more metallic edge is rooted in place even if it's for a brief snarl. This one like the bulk of the album takes a nod from grindcore  and punk by clocking in at three minutes. After a few listens even this song grows on me, they work quite a few riffs into this quick blast of ferocious bellowing with Barhost's higher shout adds to the dual vocal attack. " Beyond the Divide" gets off to a slower swampy intro , but soon shifts into a angrier slugfest.  The drums open up the ripping crust of  "Black Tide" A minute into the song and there is an almost more rock n roll riff getting trampled over by the drums. At just under four minutes this is one of the album's longer songs.  It is also one of the albums as melody creeps into some of the darker riffs. "Still not Well" has a syncopated chug that recalls Helmet's more aggressive moments. If you haven't already been convinced that their drummer is a beast he really shines playing around this groove.It's also one rare moments on the album where the metal is clearly a distinct element in and of it's self. "Walk Among the Sun" blasts off before finding a more hard core groove to slip into . As far as punk goes "Punk Out" reminds me of DRI, they write a song that holds it's own against classic punk rather than just pretending to be Agent Orange or Gang Green. They close the album with "Leveling" which is another punk hybrid, though it relies more on pounding the anger into you than expressing it lyrically like the previous song.These guys have forged a solid slab of metallic punk that is equally dirty and abrasive.I'll give it an 8.5.If you miss back when Kylesa would really go balls out then these guys are a must. They play tonight at the Earl with Royal Thunder and Bask. 10 dollar Cover doors are at 7:30.



1/25 Johnson City, TN @ The Hideaway
 1/26 Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone
 1/27 Little Rock, AR @ Vino's
 1/28 Dallas, TX @ Gas Monkey
 1/29 San Antonio, TX @ Korova
 1/30 Austin, TX @ Empire
 1/31Houston, TX @ Rudyard's
 2/01 New Orleans, LA @ Siberia
 2/02 Panama City, FL @ Mosey's
 2/03 Orlando, FL @ Will's Pub
 2/04 Tampa, FL @ New World
 2/05 Jacksonville, FL @ Burro Bar
 2/06 Savannah, GA @ Jinx 8

9.1

Anopheli: "A Hunger Rarely Sated"

Things might confusing, but in doing so they will only make more sense. This band is from Oakland California, via London, England. So the transplanting has merged a wide variety of sounds into this entity called Anopheli. You could get bogged down trying to fit these guys into a neat little category. Sludge is one name that might apply to what they do until the pace picks up and then the more hardcore elements kick the door in. Their songs do share similar rumbling vibes with a coating of cello over them to add the melancholy.

The crustier punk edges is more prevalent on the second song "Incompetent Sires" than it is on the opener. Buried some where in there I hear a little Hot Water Music,  perhaps some Coalesce as well, this could have very easily stumbled out of the metal hardcore merger of the late 90's Victory Records played such a big part in. The hard core ramble gains more momentum from there, as "Forest of the Genocides" really runs away with itself. The very punk rock way the snare is hammered here is the main deterrent for me. The emo like break downs where the cello gets to soar, creates a vast almost post-rock feeling,

The vocals are varied shades of pissed. It seems as if three voices are joining in.One  carries a more hard-core lumberjack gruffness. Another is a higher pitched punk shriek, that has a slight black metal sneer to it. The other sounds like a woman, though carries a pretty tough early Kylesa like punch to her voice. They are devoid of contracting melody and thus negate any chance for other emotional layers to be place upon what they are doing here.

A brief instrumental piece precedes the final song. "Rime" is a eight minute journey. I like the feeling they have captured here, it is very dark and down trodden, they kinda take the easy way out by just barreling into a more hardcore section at the three minute mark where the vocals kick in.They do an excellent job of creating the build towards the end. The band utilizes many different elements of what heavy could look like and boxes your ears with them.

I'll give this album an eight it's a little more on the crusty punk side than what I normally listen to. I think there are great things in store for us as to where this band goes in the future. There execution is flawless and the album sounds great from a production stand point,  it has a  big cinematic sound, that some of the moodier passages really need to carry the scope, so I will give this one and 8. If punk is more you thing you can round this up a point perhaps. It's worth giving a listen for sure.

Primitive Man - " Scorn"

I went into this with little ...ok no knowledge of this band expect they seem to be featured on sites that share similar taste in metal. I did learn that very member of this band also used to be in Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire. The sludgey sound they capture seem to have become indigenous to America. Theres a coating of abrasive noise to their brand of sludge, the edges sound sharp and rusty like an a.i.d.s ridden Gorilla rPing you in a dumpster.

The grime encrusted fuzz corrodes all the dark corners of this album. Though the drums are acoustic they carry a similar cadence at times to that of an industrial band...think Godflesh not Combichrist. There are some grin score like temper tantru,s thrown before the more predominat machine like crush. The way the tempo retards on a song like "Antietam" makes it sound like the disease is slowing the big monkey pumping down as he runs out of steam and closes in on his last perverse breath. I think this song is particularly strong and I like the apocalyptic nature it conveys. To say the production is gritty would be an understatement. It sounds like every piece of mequipment used to record this album was rolled through broken glass and the band was whipped with barbed wire as they were recording this.

Vocally there are moment I would liken to Converge as it sometimes sounds like Jacob is screaming out of catharsis ad abandoning any decorum of the human language, which is the vibe I'm getting here as well. It barked , it's squeaked , we have set Noahs's ark on fire and it's sinking into the flood water amd these are the pleas we hear. With songs like "Black Smoke " the tone is almost set to equal parts noise and while I can appreciate the David Lynchian oddity found I. Experimentation , there needs to be some sort of notes for me to consider it a song. Not static and what may or may not be a moan.

"Stretched Thin" carries the punk venom with barking with rabid abandon.its not until the chug midway through does it really ,Orpheus into metal. The bass is very present and accounted for here which I'm a fan Of. "Astral Sleep" let's it's heft linger at first before it slides into the first piece of sludge that I would say comes close to having any doom ties. The build back in has a powerful chug to it. This is to Sludge what Lord Mantis is to black metal . Though that is not to say there is anything black about this album. It's darkness is more on the urban plane of existence. The punk leanins are they only hindernce here, I know to some extent it does part and parcel with grind core.

The conviction with which they set a out this with is pretty impressive , I think it should maintain a spot on my iPod so I will go ahead and give this one an 8 . It's powerful it tends to hit you with the same blows all too often , yet the feel of what they are doing has a very real desperation to it and I fou d myself like in Thai album much more than anticipated , so they get points for winning me over despite their lack of anything black.