Alright 2022, seriously, calm down. It's getting kinda hectic. I'm beginning to gt a bit overwhelmed over here with all the cool new stuff coming out and this batch of reviews is no exception. There's a real mixed bag here with lots of different kinds of stuff so open up yr ears/mind and check out what's below.
CAVE-IN, “Heavy Pendulum”
Right off the bat I’d like to mention that this is one of
the most beautiful record covers I’ve seen in recent memory. Whatever your feelings about Cave-In,
or their music, might be there is no denying this thing looks incredible. Anyway, all that being said, I
personally have always preferred the more metal-leaning Cave-In to space rock
Cave-In. That’s not to say they
don’t know how to dabble in numerous styles and do them all really great. I just plant my fandom flag firmly in
“Until Your Heart Stops” territory.
A lot of people tend to overlook “Perfect Pitch Black” too, which I felt
totally nailed the mix between their metallic and space rock styles to the
point where I think I’d consider it my second favorite record of theirs. So that’s where I think “Heavy
Pendulum” fits in. I don’t think
they’re trying to re-create “Perfect Pitch Black”, but I feel like they’re
making a concerted effort to marry the two styles they’re most known for and
it, overall, comes off pretty good.
There’s a few total bangers on this record- “Blood Spiller”,
“Amaranthine”, and “Searchers Of Hell” immediately come to mind. But there’s a couple growers (not
showers) too that take a long time to build yet have an exceptional payoff such
as “Blinded By a Blaze” and the title track. And there’s “Reckoning”, which is kind of a clunker that
would have been better left off the record. Still, Cave-In have also never shied away from writing
longer songs (or albums for that matter), and at 14 tracks and 71 minutes it’s
quite the exercise in focus and taking in the album as a whole. So strap in,
get a snack, and get ready for a journey. It’s a worthy sort-of return for a
band that has consistently stretched their musical muscles in numerous
directions for well over 20 years now and always managed to pull off something
deserving of your attention. (Relapse)
COME TO GRIEF, “When the World Dies”
Usually sludge/doom has like a 70% chance of being
boring. At least to me
anyway. I want to like it, but
dragging a single note for too long is just painful. Thankfully, Come To Grief make their hateful, seismic sludge
both slow and low, but with momentum at the same time. They know how to add
some groove in there, pick up the tempo when they damn well feel like it, and
screech with so much vitriol you’d guess they all burst a blood vessel in their
collective heads. Still, these
guys ought to have a firm grasp on what they’re doing since most of them were
in the 90’s version of this group (AKA ‘Grief’), so they’ve been at it for a
long time, even though this is a new iteration of that band, some 20 years
removed. They summon forth monumental
riffs and absolutely thunderous drums that, at times, recall early High On Fire
riffstravaganzas. But as they get into the second half of the record things
change up a little bit, particularly on the title track which opens with eerie
ambience and moves into a plodding slough where the bass has some room to show
off, along with some tasteful guitar acrobatics. I’m not one to typically highlight a record’s engineer, but
getting Kurt Ballou on this to twist some knobs (as well as his Converge
colleague Jacob Bannon to lend some back up vocals here and there) truly makes
this record sound incredibly huge.
It doesn’t make this just another sludge/doom mopey bongfest. It draws out the raw emotion, the piss
and vinegar, and complete spite seething from every feedback-soaked riff
pounding into yr damaged skull. (Translation Loss)
DROWNINGMAN, “Later Day Saints” 7”
The once-more re-activated Drowningman has tested the
proverbial waters by releasing this limited 7” with one older song they never
got around to using, as well as one new track. Once a staple of the fertile metallic hardcore scene in the
late 90’s and early aughts Drowningman took inspiration from a bevy of the best
and put their own spin on it, usually with pretty awesome results. As they went on their music got more
technical and complex, which sometimes made it difficult to follow (or
remember), though they continued to prove themselves as an amazing live band to
go see what with the mix of all-out danger (vocalist Simon Brody regularly
swinging his mic around by the cord like a goddamn lasso) and astute technical
skill. So what should you expect
with this go-around? Both songs
feel like mid-era Drowningman, closer to the “How They Light Cigarettes In
Prison” or “Still Loves You” EPs- not as chunky or riff-centric as “Busy
Signal..”, but not nearly as technical as “Rock N’ Roll Killing Machine”. So as they eventually lead up to a new
full length record it’s difficult for me to say how well material such as this
holds up in the 2020’s- that combination of metallic and technical with singing
somewhere between way-old Converge, Deadguy, and then the onslaught of Ferret/Trustkill
Records polished metalcore of the early 2000’s. Younger heads will have to put into context for
themselves. Personally, I’m fine
with it and this is a decent representation of a good band from that era giving
us a solid old track they never used for whatever reason, as well as a new one
that measures up fine with that older material. (The Ghost Is Clear)
EDITRIX, “Editrix II:
Editrix Goes To Hell”
Damn, talk about a band that’s really difficult to classify.
I think part of my initial curiosity of this band began with that challenge on
their first record, which was kind of a mixed bag for me. Now, on their second full length, I’m
not sure if I’m more down with their thing because I’m going in with the
expectation that it’s going to be weird, hard-to-pin-down music, or if the band
has just gotten to be better songwriters.
I think it’s a bit of both.
Regardless, what is Editrix doing that’s so out there? Well, they play very herky-jerky- and
quirky!- indie rock that veers into some aggressive territory now and then with
semi-chaotic parts. They’re all
music school types that throw in all sorts of math-y, noodly parts to their
songs ranging from Minutemen-style funk curveballs to Dischord 21st
century-era post-hardcore rocking a la Q and Not U and Faraquet. The vocals are the real standout here
most of the time though, as guitarist/vocalist Wendy Eisenberg coos softly over
all this eccentricity to keep the listener at least a little grounded. Her voice is a dead ringer for Karla
Schickele, from 90’s indie stalwarts Ida and Beekeeper (please look them both
up), and maybe in a more current sense, a little bit of Melkbelly too. It all sounds random and confusing on
paper, but give it a few listens and Editrix somehow worms their way into your
brain and their sound sticks somehow.
It’s weird, it’s cool, there’s a really odd picture of a dog on the
cover of the record. (Exploding InSound)
GOSPEL, “The Loser”
Bands reuniting in this day and age is no big deal. It’s so much easier now to connect with
old bandmates who moved to the other side of the country and drag them back in
for either a cash-in nostalgia tour, or some half-hearted comeback album that
frequently sounds like a cover version of themselves. But every once in awhile a band that never made a big impact
decides, without anyone necessarily pining for a reunion (or expecting one), to
get back in the saddle and they just kill it. The best results often come from the bands who never made a
huge deal of things in the first place and didn’t have massive pressure
weighing on them from the fan community.
Gospel is one such band.
They released one album in the mid-oughts that was met with both
adulation and confusion- the pretty spectacular “The Moon Is a Dead
World”. They never toured much and
then they sort of just dissolved, leaving this super weird, but really exciting
document of what would happen if you mixed wild screamo music with 70’s Yes and
Genesis. In 2010 they hinted at a
comeback and recorded a demo, but then just disappeared once again.
Now they have resurrected those couple demo tracks, and
wrote a bunch of other songs to make an entire new album and it’s just as
fascinating and weird as their initial output. The only big noticeable change is in the vocals, which were
originally a higher pitch and more, ya know, scream-y. I suppose with age things change and
now the vocals are in a lower register, slurred more, and come off in a sort of
David Yow-meets-Creston Spiers sort of drunken howl. It’s not a bad change by any means, but it once again throws
a wrench into any potential prog fans notion that everything ought to sound
like it came out of a music school.
Of course the drumming is still ridiculously off-the-rails, wildly inventive,
and propels many of these songs into a whole other territory. The space-y keyboards further add to
the ‘prog’ tag, bringing out the band’s signature unique sound while the rest
of the band plows through pretty long songs (mostly), yet always keeping you
reeled in. It’s an excellent
follow-up, albeit over 15 years later.
But I’m not complaining. I
never expected them to do anything ever again so it’s a nice surprise and worth
really digging into. Music made
for super scientists. All it’s missing is a Roger Dean cover painting. (DogKnights Productions)
KRAUSE, “The Art Of Fatigue”
Not often will you hear me extol the virtues of Greek noise
rock (OK, that really never happens because I know fuck all about what happens
in Mediterranean Europe), but I’m just going to go ahead and guess that Krause
has that particular niche scene on lock.
They have quite the discography already, and certainly know their way
around a RAT pedal so let’s just assume half of Athens rock fans are deaf
because of this group. I first
came across them on a random bandcamp spree last year and was drawn in by their
freaky pulp monster art adorning their last EP. It was a solid bet, so I’ve been keeping an eye on what
they’re doing since then. So here
is their new full length and it’s just as full of piss and vinegar, just more
of it because it’s a full length.
Once again, they have some wild art going here and that’s always a
plus. As for the songs- not bad
either. With a bass sound that’s
got more dirt on it than a corpse, sans coffin, in an unmarked grave and a
seething sneer that operates on a ‘some songs fast and pissed, others slow and
menacing’ it’s pretty easy to feel the anger and resentment here on “The Art Of
Fatigue”. My favorite track is probably the smash n’ grab aesthetic behind
“Sloppy Human Excess”, followed closely by the song with the most accurate
title ever- “Stressworld” and it’s creeping bass intro with off-time backbeat,
bursting into a perfect summation of the song’s title through ugly rage. The album, as a whole, is a little more
polished with the recording than their last effort, but in this case it just
means the heaviness comes out more. (Venerate Industries)
NERVER, “Cash”
The second full length from the Midwest’s Nerver takes no
time to get down to business.
Right from the jump they dig in with grimey, heavy-ass noise rock. It’s a great introduction really. However, some of the songs feel a
little long (they’re not actually all that long, they just feel that way) when
compared to the overall more immediate, faster, and less involved songs from
their first LP “Believer’s Hit” from a couple years back. On the other hand, “Cash” is a bigger,
more menacing-sounding record so take that all as you will. While taking some cues from fellow
brethren/contemporaries Bummer in terms of the harshness they deliver much of
this reminds me a lot more of Pigs (the Dave Curran-helmed Unsane side
band). While a song like
“Purgatory” takes a slow and somber approach to creating a sense of malaise,
songs like “Blood Boy” and “The Chair” kick you right in the fuckin’ teeth with
fast stop-start riffs and sections that just drag you by the feet through a
marsh of mud and sharp rocks. The
Midwest doesn’t fuck around, let me tell ya. (The Ghost Is Clear)
RIP ROOM, “Alight and Resound”
This is definitely what one could consider to be art-punk,
but not with a collective nose so high in the air as to be insufferable. Often there is a sparseness to the
sound of San Francisco’s Rip Room, focusing on simple, yet solid bass lines and
wire-y guitar that gives it a strong post-punk lean as well. I suppose you could liken Rip Room to
certain Dischord Records bands existing in Fugazi’s shadow in the early 90’s,
or perhaps nearly anything emanating from the Lovitt Records roster. It’s not quite what the label write-up
implies it to be, but it’s also a decent record from some up-and-comers keeping
you bopping with those thoughtfully restrained and catchy basslines. (SpartanRecords)
TRUTH CULT, “Tour ’22 Tape”
Let me tell ya’, Truth Cult just had themselves a hell of a
Spring. They got to open for the
biggest hardcore band on the planet for a month and came really close to
blowing them off the stage each night.
In my humble opinion, this Baltimore-based group is about the most
exciting hardcore (or HC-adjacent if you will) band out there. If you haven’t had the chance to check
out their absolutely wonderful “Off Fire” LP from a year or so ago do yourself
a favor and stop reading this now and go grab it. But this new collection of songs, four tracks in all, was
meant as a taste of things to come I can only assume (I know they have a whole
new album in the can) and they made some copies to bring on the aforementioned
tour with them. Now they’re up
online so you need to get on it.
Recalling the best of late 80’s/early 90’s DC/Dischord punk and
hardcore, but occasionally veering off into other lanes here and there this is
super energetic, rocking, and uplifting punk. Hoarse, impassioned vocals with occasional sung back-up’s,
gonzo drumming, and loose guitar riffing straight from the school of Farrell
make Truth Cult a band I’m happy to support. Opener “Resurrection” will be the jam of the summer-
floating between spastic/driving and beautiful/ uplifting, while “The Bodies
You Keep” and “Remain In Light” continue with the style they brought on the LP
with a little more experience and thoughtfulness. “Roadside Picnic” is the final track and it’s the weirdest
of the bunch as it takes numerous twists and turns through ripping sections,
some seemingly freeform parts, and a lot of noisy jamming. Like I said, quit reading and just go
listen to this band and if you have the chance to see them live do not miss it.
(self-released)
