Labels: Level Plane
Review by: Andy Malcolm
The sordid truth is that I have recently purchased more records than any moderately sane individual could hope to know what to do with. If I stacked all my new records on top of one another, they would extend to the moon, and back. I know this, because I climbed, but at about 20,000 feet, the air got a bit thin. And I have asthma. So I went back down again. Anyway, if I didn’t buy another record between now and the year 2006, I would probably have enough to tide me through. Is there anything good coming out before then?
Usurp Synapse, and Neil Perry? On a singular disk of black wax with a giant hole in the middle? With badly drawn sub-Combatwoundedveteran-esque artwork on cheap yellow paper? I’ll buy that for 3 dollars.
This is “The Chilling Tale of Usurp Synapse as told by Neil Perry” and it brings together 2 of the fucking most emo violent bands you can lay your hands on right now. Downright fast, downright brutal, downright ugly. The Synapse hit you with 6 songs on one side, and a sample that makes me laugh. They bring the pain Orchid + “Veteran style, that being two swift belts to the head, a blast in the stomach, then back to the face for the knockout blow. Forget using dynamite to knock down derelict buildings, stick a turntable out there, crank up the volume to 666, and spin a Synapse record on the deck. And buildings will fall. Bonus points: the bit where the band all scream like they are being crushed by the garbage compactor in Star Wars. Right on. More bands should scream like they are actually dying. It’s a plus point.
Neil Perry childishly only fit 3 songs on their side of the vinyl. Talk about lack of value for money. The kids expect a bigger deal from their violence these days, and this kind of selfishness will only see them hounded viciously from the scene within moments. Perry are a wall of rumbling sound, Jeromes Dream / Reversal of Man fashion, a mass of screamed vocals, and heavy grind ups specifically designed to make you feel like you are carrying a real fat guy on your shoulders. Best track: “Josh’s Dream Party: Beer, Girls, and a Computer”, with a smart emo break to round it out. Though I think the best song title award goes to: “I Bought This Southern Rap Compilation And All I Got Was This Lousy High Hat”. Their in between song samples are freaky. Some strange phone call conversation that I can’t work out. I think the guy is stick in a telephone booth? Waa. Weird. Um, they are also ex-You-And-I if I vaguely remember, but sounding zero like them.
For those in need of a swift face smash, this is your fix. You already know if you are cool enough to own this. Rendering my review a moot point. No change there then! Wasting my words and your time, an Andrew D Malcolm specialty.