Labels: Relapse
Review by: Alex Deller
Have to admit, I’m enough of a sucker to have been lured in by the fact that Josh Hughes of this here mob initially tore things up with Angel Hair and the VSS. Whilst not remotely similar, Rabbits explore equally amenable sonic territory: big, vulgar, hardcore-streaked sludgy-grunge-cum-noise-rock. The Melvins, of course, are a primary point of reference with the more aggro sounds of Karp being perhaps more on point, things stumbling and lurching convincingly enough with the riffs coming thick and fast and the aggrieved hollers sounding remarkably like a madman’s last cries as he’s strangled with a length of electrical cord. So far, so good, right? But, while ‘Lower Forms’ is a sturdily rollicking ride, the fact remains that this whole lark has been done better in recent times, with LPs by the likes of Slices, White Boss and Tournament variously being catchier, better-crafted or simply more unhinged than these guys are at present.