Labels: Smallstone
Review by: Kunal Nandi
This record is the dictionary definition of psychotic! With possibly the greatest start to an album ever in the shape of the appropriately-titled “Let’s Kill”, a brilliantly carefree production job where they must’ve just thought, “Fuck it – distort everything!” that makes everything sound diamond hard as opposed to an ineffectual sludgy soup and a band that are simultaneously flailing about the place whilst still remaining as one rock-solid unit, then you’ve got a good ‘un in your shit-stained hands.
The icing on the cake for me is Jonah Jenkins’ vocals. Imagine Kyuss’ John Garcia if his formative years had been spent listening to rather more Black Flag than Black Sabbath. Yeah – THAT fucking good. He’s happy to belch out a varied and vicious roar on the first couple of tracks, but by “Let’s Pretend We Don’t Know Each Other” his voice is in full flight, providing a ruthlessly catchy melody that counterpoints the hurtling tune beautifully.
In fact, the first half of the album is a pummelling, hectic headlong dive into the moshpit, taking the logical middle ground between heads down Motorhead-style punk rock metal, mixed in with an unhealthy dose of Melvins oddness, as absolutely pummelling riffs give way beneath math-rock at its most blatantly heavy. There is a propensity towards shorter tracks in the first half of the record, each like short, sharp kicks to the solar plexus, which makes the later slower and longer ones feel like the band are stepping off the gas a bit. This version of the album also comes with a bunch of studio out-takes, which I think were out-takes for a reason, being as they are a series of interesting but pointless noise-scapes and wibbles. “Death To America” appears to be 12 minutes of guitarist Darryl Shepard (ex of Roadsaw! Cool!) tuning up, but things come full circle with a magnificently slower, lower and meaner version of “My Own Private Altamont”, the ‘lost’ track that was missed off the EP compilation out on Overcome recently. Listen to this to hear each band-member giving their all one final time.
It’s not subtle, it’s pretty clever and it fucking rocks. If this doesn’t kick-start those endorphins in your brain, you’re a fucking corpse.e so many bands of this style, PS – Needless to say (perhaps), after putting out such a great album, Milligram have promptly split up. Arse! PS – Needless to say (perhaps), after putting out such a great album, Milligram have promptly split up. Arse! with entire labels devoted to it even, but not many outside of Chicago! I’m shit at comparisons, but I’m thinking of a bit of Hero Of A Hundred Fights, (the god-like) Faraquet, American Heritage (without the Norwegian black-metal), that kind of thing. So, pretty damn good, with the fact that both bands are mates with each other and on a local label making this a little extra special in my book. Adding even more to the inter-band incestuousness, Dead Sun Rising also feature Mistress fellows, so that may give you some idea as to the extremity on show here. Converge are a definite touchstone here, but DSR really go off the rails at times, songs spinning out of control, veering madly into 6 minute territory. It’s pretty damn scattered, absorbing and twisting a myriad of easily identifiable influences, spitting them out with brutal force and unpredictability. Cool! Rumours abound that these older recordings are already unrepresentative of what DSR are up to now, using keyboards and even sitting down at points during gigs as they do. It’s hard to believe though, especially after the closing 5-second song (can’t escape that other famous Brum band, Napalm Death’s influence) kicks your face off. Solway Fifth are yer meat-and-potatoes, instrumental noodly post-rocky band, without actually sounding standard in any way shape or form. Usually it’s totally pleasant on the ears, even when they do a full-on wig-out, and they’re unafraid to bring some light relief in the form of a snippet of a hummable melody, which is certainly refreshing. There are so many bands of this style, with entire labels devoted to it even, but not many outside of Chicago! I’m shit at comparisons, but I’m thinking of a bit of Hero Of A Hundred Fights, (the god-like) Faraquet, American Heritage (without the Norwegian black-metal), that kind of thing. So, pretty damn good, with the fact that both bands are mates with each other and on a local label making this a little extra special in my book.