ALBUM REVIEW: Mutoid Man - "War Moans"

By: Phil Weller

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 02/06/2017

Label: Sargent House

“War Moans”  is fast, heavy and vocally arresting, it is an album that is certain to leave you breathless. 

“War Moans” CD//DD//LP track listing:

01. Melt Your Mind
02. Bone Chain
03. Micro Aggression
04. Kiss of Death
05. Date with the Devil
06. Headrush
07. Irons in the Fire
08. War Moans
09. Wreck and Survive
10. Afterlife
11. Open Flame
12. Bandages

The Review:  

Mutoid Man write the heaviest pop songs. Across third album ‘War Moans’, a triumph of melodious calculated chaos, Steven Brodsky’s frantic, buzzing guitar work intertwines brilliantly with the assaulting drumming provided by Ben Koller, who may only play with a small kit, but utilises all his toys with a prestige pizzazz.

‘Melt Your Mind’ is a pop punk song turned gangrene and nasty, slime oozing from their growling riffs while Brodsky’s smooth, infectious vocal lines float atop the mix like leaves on a river. ‘Micro Aggression’ meanwhile is as virile as they come, a fast, blitzing song, iced with a simplistic but divine chorus that injects itself right into your psyche, their ability to balance the skull crushingly heavy – listening to this with headphones is like having a self-induced aneurism – with those all important sing along moments is one they have mastered on this record.

It is, as to be expected, a record brimming with energy. There is no fucking about here, each song rages on like its own little war, giving no quarter for the short but sweet time they play out for – most songs don’t exceed three minutes in length. Then, the baton is passed for another pop metal pummelling. Each song derives its own special feature, ‘Date With The Devil’, a song about getting the Devil’s daughter pregnant, has a fun, comedic value to it, ‘Kiss Of Death’ is slow, evil and grinding, but understandably the perfect single from the album while ‘Irons In The Fire’ has a hint of a crack addled Iron Maiden to it, classic, anthemic yet wonderfully peculiar too. 

With 12 songs to bite into, the record provides plenty of substance and value for money. ‘Headrush’and ‘Afterlife’ have a thrash metal vigour in their DNA, Brodsky’s lyrical attack on fire here. An album this fast, heavy and vocally arresting leaves you a little breathless and so closer ‘Bandages’, which leans heavily upon “Jupiter” era Cave In, iced with some fiery lead guitar work, is the perfect farewell. It eases its foot off the gas and allows you to step back and really soak in what the hell has just happened.

This album is insanely choreographed, the songs whizzing off their tits and infected with irresistibly sassy pop melodies atop brutish and gritty riffs, make no mistake ‘War Moans’ is absolutely brilliant fun.

“War Moans” is available here

Band info: bandcamp|| facebook