Take Offense : "T​.​O​.​tality"

 

This band is kicking up 80s-era skate punk. This means "Join the Army " era Suicidal Tendencies. There are a few more foot-on-the-monitor guitar heroics, so other late 80s cross-over hardcore could be referenced. The most important thing is they are not just trying to dial in the sound, but they are focused on writing hooky songs, even if they took notes from their heroes on how to do so. They kick things into thrashing speed for "S.W.O".  At first glance, you might think these guys are trying to jump on the Power Trip bandwagon, but they are not as foreboding in their aggression, and seem to be more about having fun than being doomsayers of a world in demise. 

The title track is more about grooving with the bass line driving things in a manner that reminds me more of Prong than say Infectious Grooves. I would have loved this in high school. "If I am Damned So Be It" has rock n roll in it's veins. It is pretty obvious hearing these guys that they are from California, as this sound could not come from anywhere else. I often reference the more metaphysical concept of a place's energy or its egregore holding a certain, and this album makes a powerful case for that concept. "Assassination" is more thrashing it also does not feel as hooky, though there are some effective riffs in motion. The breakdown groove is at the top of the list for the album's best riffs. 

I like the syncopation to "Uncivilized Animals". This takes me back to when metalcore was called cross-over, and bands like DRI were more celebrated. There is a taste of 80s metal lingering in the riffs of "Now or Never". It does not make it any less hardcore as both Discharge and TSOL flirted with that sort of thing. The more deliberate metal grooving continues on "Deep Inside".  You can open up the pit to "Stolen Land". It carries more thrash to it without having to pour on the speed.  "Until Then" brings more big 80's in an almost Dokken-like manner. The more gritty vocal offsets this. You can hear Van Halen influence in the riffs to "Beyond Flesh & Bone". " Give'm Chaos" works more of a discordance that lives up to its name. Sure this album is slick like a Turnstile record, and one of the guitarists did tour with Turnstile, but it leans more heavily toward taking influence from Suicidal Tendencies with almost worshipful devotion, nevertheless I will give this album a 9.5, as Suicidal Tendencies haven't made any albums good since "How Will I Laugh Tomorrow, it's a lot of fun and thrashes the way I used to like.  

Knocked Loose : "You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To"

"Suffocate"  was enough to make me look forward to checking this album out.. This album is heavier than expected. The first song was hard-hitting without falling into too many of the metal tropes. This is the album, that is poised to break these guys big.  By the time we get to "Don't Reach For Me," it's clear they have established what they are doing here and now need to expand upon that concept. With a 46-second song like "Moss Covers All" they are willing to indulge their more power- violence-leaning influences. 

But to be going on tour with Slipknot, I expected this album to be more ripe with the darker more experimental notions that can be heard on "Take Me Home". They are going to need more of these moments to separate themselves from the pack that is already trying to make metal-core rock stadiums. Chris Motionless is certainly one of those figures that it makes sense they might align themselves with even though his band is on the more mainstream side of this scene. The song is well-written enough and has enough sonic nuance to work. 

"The Calm That Keeps You Awake" carries a little of the eerie dissonance that counterbalances the normal pounding and screaming these guys deliver. Their lead screamer puts his voice in the right places, he could just do more to create more colors with his voice, rather than just screaming from such a singular place of anger. This begins to make all the songs sound the same by the time we get to "Blinding Faith".  The last song is the only song that really brings nu-metal to mind, which is a miscalculation on the part of the music press, who have been hailing these guys as the band on the forefront of what could be the newt nu-metal revival, since if there are no new bands fostering the genre then it just happens all the old band are just doing cash grab reunions. These guys have stuck to their hardcore roots well, I will give this a 9, and bet on this album is more inspired than the new Kittie whenever that drops. 

Fawning : "All Around Me"

This dream pop duo unfolds very 90s worshipping sounds. There is more dream than pop going into this album, as the hooks are not really grabbing me, they are almost intangible. The poppiest thing about them is the child-like quality of their singer's voice. This album is well produced as the sounds all sit where they need to, and are layered. They appreciate the deliberate playing of the single-note guitar solos that cut through the background. This is what provides a more Cure-like quality. 

The title track is more of a breezy strummed ballad than expected from this band. "Speak" that follows this one works better, almost having an early Cranberries feel, which is like Cocteau Twins run through a more mainstream 90s pop filter. The "lead" guitar kicking in for the last minute is pretty effective. "Laid Away" is more like an ambient interlude than a song that goes somewhere. The delay on the drums leading into "In Memory" works well as it's the first song that feels dark enough to fall into the goth label. The guitar is often mixed into the distance. I guess it works for what they are doing here.

"Feelings" finds the haze of the ambiance even thicker. It floats within the obscured clouds of its own making, burying the vocals in the mix, so they are reduced to a muffled coo. The ethereal strum of guitar guiding "Time Enough at Last" offers little guidance for which the vocals might glide within. The last song brings the kind of black light sunshine you expect from this sort of thing, but works well enough in the context of what they do. I will give this album an 8.5, which is better than most pop and indie rock coming out given its nature,. but when you start inching over in the zip code of the Cocteau Twins that raises the bar, since if you are in the mood to listen to Cocteau Twins you listen to them. Thus it is hard to predict how much air time this will get from me, but if you like 90s sounding future pop then this is worth your time. 

Witherfall : "Sounds of the Forgotten"

 

These guys are one of the few bands doing this sort of thing that gets it right. I think it is because they are not skimping on the thrash side of the genre, which gives them a darker, more aggressive sound. Joesph Micheal took the mantle from Wurrel Dane on the last Sanctuary tour I caught, so this makes sense. Though on the other side of the coin, they also like their power ballads, so that brings them back toward the power metal status quo. To their credit despite the more Bon Jovie moments of the song they do build it up to a heavy enough place for my liking. With the first two songs, drummer Chris Tsaganeas proves himself capable of sitting alongside any metal drummer doing it today.

Things get darker to the point of almost sonically neighboring King Diamond on "Insidious". The neo-classical touches to the guitar playing aid in this. It is well-written and balances flash with head-banging grit. "Ceremony of Fire " is a more rapid-fire affair that could spark Sanctuary comparisons. Though it also has a more anthemic Judas Priest feel. Another factor that plays to their fact is that Micheal's voice carries a piercing menace rather than sounding like Boston or Journey. Which is too mainstream radio for me. That kind of music is too feel-good. I can't relate to that I want to feel bad about music. So far they have not crossed the line into feel-good music. 

The title track works well enough as the previous one, I appreciate where they are going into the chorus as it has a big anthemic quality, but not too feel-good. There are these minute-and-a-half interludes on this album that are more like theatrical bridges rather than songs, so I am not counting them when it comes to this review. "When It All Falls Away" starts off more like a ballad. It is very 80s, as it could have been any band from LA in the late 80s. that was labeled as metal. His singing is impressive but I wish they had come in kicking ass with it. Great guitar playing, but the song is less driven and focused. 

"Opulent" is more of a guitar showcase. It confirms they can play flamenco guitar in case you were wondering. They close the album with the ten-minute "What Have You Done". If it had been a ten-minute power-ballad that would have been a deal breaker. The vocals do have a more melodic and flowing pattern to the verses. The chorus is as soaring as you might expect a band like this to go for. Almost operatic in the manner this is approached. They do get their feet under the song and get into the chugs and gallops as needed. Around the 7-minute mark when things drop all the way down, it works well enough, they could have had more of a jammy feel coming out of it., though they do capture this as the song comes to its climax.  I will give this album a 9 and see how it sits with me. 

RIP - Steve Albini

I've always considered Steve Albini a punk rock Frank Zappa, though noise was his weird. To normal joes, I explain him as the dude who produced "In Utero ". My first inclination I would almost be inclined to tell you I appreciate him more as a musician than a producer than I remember I really like the Neurosis albums he produced so then I would have to retract that statement. I think what his death will take from this world the most is his willingness to speak his mind and voice opinions that challenge mainstream thought. He would come out and explain his dislike for dance music in a manner that got the point across without apologizing for his disdain. In the days of people shouting gatekeeper like it's a negative connotation, instead of what it is quality control, we need more Steve Albini's in this world. 

Here's a list of the albums Albini produced that matter here at Abysmal Hymans

Pixies - "Surfer Rosa" 

the Jesus Lizard - "Pure", "Head", "Goat", "Liar" , "Down"

Pigface- "Gub" 

Helmet- "Meantime" 

Fugazi- "In On the Killtaker" 

PJ Harvey- "Rid of Me" 

Nirvana- "In Utero" 

Burning Witch- "Towers" 

Neurosis - "Times of Grace", "A Sun that Never Sets" , the Eye of Every Storm", 'Given to the Rising" , "Honor Found in Decay" , "Fires With Fires" 

Bloodlet-"Three Humid Nights in Cypress Trees" 

Leftover Crack- "Fuck World Trade" 

Made Out of Babies- "Coward"

Trash Talk- "s/t" 

Ebsend and the Witch- "New Nature"

METZ - "Strange Peace" 

Code Orange- "the Above" 

and if you have never checked out his music this is a good place to start

 

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Blushing : " Sugarcoat"

 

The intro is cool, but the first actual song finds the band living up to the album's title;e and draping sugary sweet pop over the shoegazing ambiance. Dream pop is the first handy label to throw on this Texas-based band,  but they do seem more serious about rocking out than most dream pop bands. They at times remind me of a shoegazing version of Veruca Salt, with how the vocals harmonize and entwined. Things swirl around you so it can be hard to tell who is doing what. "Slyce" has more of a 90s drive more in line with what Curve did, but with a more optimistic point of view less bound by sex and drugs. 

"Silverteeth" finds the guitars denser, yet no less woozy from the effects slathered over them. The guitars touch on an almost Smashing Pumpkins sound, that is without the harder rocking aspirations. One of the album's most impressive moments is the bass line that anchors the title track in a darker place. This gives a sweet atmosphere the vocals float in more of a dynamic contrast. The slither of the bass adds a sonic depth that more bands need to tap into when attempting to capture this kind of sound. "Fizz" has a little more of an indie rock drive to its jangle as the more My Bloody Valentine sounds drip from the periphery. It works for this song but also finds the band in the zip code of the other shoe gaze revivalists. 

They continue to take you on the tour of their influences as somewhat Cocteau Twins-like sounds dance past your ears in a lighter more carefree manner. It sounds good, but the song itself is not as focused as what we heard in the first half of the album. "Pull You In Two" has more pop in its heartbeat. However, it still drifts a bit with the wanderlust that empowers their overall sound. The hushed feel of the verses of "Charms" provides a better shift of dynamics when it comes to the chorus.  They last song might not be the catchiest but the thick ambiance is balanced with enough melody to make this work and get the more melancholy mood across which I prefer to their more playful moments. I will give this album a 9.5 , and see how it grows on me, if you want dream pop that takes notes from the best, while still doing it's own thing this band is for you. 

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Kontravoid : "Detachment"

 To be a clique for non-conformists, it takes a great deal of conformity to break big as an artist in the goth scene.  This is coming from someone who has been called one of the gatekeepers of the scene. I don't see such a label as negative. Though I think this artist already had all the elements in play that were needed to be admitted, this album feels like it is an almost overcompensating step forward, and too mindful of what DJs at Goth clubs would want to play. I do not think the point of goth should be what is good to dance so, just a "goth nite" can be little more than a fashion show where the music adheres too slavishly to the same two dozen bands and the bands who want to sound like them. 

This conclusion comes after weighing the direction of this album against what this project has previously done. This finds some of the industrial elements sacrificed to make things more dancey. Nuovo Testemento singer Chelsey Crowley lends her voice to the song "Losing Game" and it works really well, even if they worship the 80s heavily here, with a more new wave feel. The songs are pretty good so in some respects it is hard to complain, but it makes me wonder why have things not always sounded like this and listen for the more familiar elements. It is driving and bound to cause booty shaking which are the lowest common denominator elements firing off most effectively. 

Synth wave, EBM, and dark wave are all genre labels depending on what song you are hearing, and what part of the said song you are hearing. "Death Shot" highlights the fact his vocals are the weak spot for this project. By the time we get to "Sin Walker" the songs are beginning to follow more of a formula that begins to make them sound the same. "How It Ends" might be propelled by a more rapid-fire bpm, but sonically is not too far removed from the previous songs. This is a trend that does not change. So with that in mind, I will give this album an 8, if you are looking for something synth-driven and dancey for your weekend cocaine excursions then this is the album for you. Out on Artoffact Records.

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