Confessor - Unraveled - CD (2006)

Labels: Season Of Mist
Review by: Kunal Nandi

I’ll be honest and say I had no idea what to expect from these guys. I’d mentally consigned them to the bargain bin of early 90’s Earache also-rans and moved on. It was only when I got into the stunning instru-math-metal band Loincloth, for whom Confessor drummer Steve Shelton contributed alongside Honor Role / Breadwinner / Butterglove guitar god Pen Rollings that my interest was piqued. Recently reformed and commendably putting this out themselves, I was expecting some sort of speedy death metal thrash in a Carcass or Napalm Death vein. Instead, Confessor play an immensely satisfying and unique blend of quite slow-paced, deceptively technical discordant riffing, like the Melvins with even more tricks up their sleeves, all locked down by Shelton’s incredible time-keeping. Overlaid are the clear, almost trad-doom, vocals that seem at odds with the insane mathematical precision but provide a heady counterpoint. I’ll be trying to track down Confessor’s older material A-freaking-SAP.