Labels: Black Box
Review by: Kunal Nandi
A desperately under-appreciated band during their fairly short lifespan, Carrion were a Washington D.C.-area power trio who were one of those rare bands that managed to successfully combine stoner and punk to an addictive, catchy level. Good and harsh, whilst still retaining a thick vein of melody throughout, ladling on the sinister doomy elements to their sometimes hectic math-rock made their full-length “The Crime Of Idle Hands” (which, like this 7″, was released on McCarthyism, though not alongside Mike from Anodyne’s own newish label Black Box) such an essential listen and well worth getting.
Thank the Lord God above then that The Wayward is a new combo formed from pretty much the same personnel, retaining those vital defining aspects that made Carrion so distinctive, namely the shouty sung vocals and Arabic-inclined guitar weavings of one Nick Skrobisz, all backed up by a totally rock-solid rhythm section. The Wayward are pushing the musical complexity pedal even harder than Carrion ever did, reaching an almost metallic Faraquet level, yet they still throw out the hooks, faster and more furious than ever before. An amazing start.