REVIEW: Come to Grief / Fistula & Fistula / -(16)- [Splits]

By: Ernesto Aguilar


Album Type: Split

Date Released:29/12/2017

Label: PATAC Records

 

“Come to Grief | Fistula” & “Fistula | -(16)-“ Split 7”//CS//DD track listing

1). Come to Grief – “Take Me In My Sleep”

2). Fistula– “Confusion”

1). Fistula– “Mongoloid” (Devo)

2). -(16)- “Complications” (Killing Joke)

The Review:

In a year of conflict and uncertainty, one thing came out clear as anything: legendary Ohiosludge crew Fistuladid not piss away the end of 2017 binge watching garbage on Netflix. Nope. In fact, the band dove headfirst into creating new music. It is featured as part of a new seven-inch series, where the band is paired up with other veteran acts – Maine four-piece Come to Grief and Los Angeles long-timers -(16)-for sonic adventures aplenty.

The pair of singles begins with Come to Grief's entry, a dense and dangerous cut built around Jonathan Hébert's searing vocals and the brawny guitar of Terry Savastano. "Take Me In My Sleep" is deceptively powerful. From the slow climb of its opening, Come to Grief maintains a thick and ominous rhythm throughout this song. As fans may recall, the quartet arose from the ashes of the 1990s group Grief, reconstituting to some range the songs for that group written by Savastano, and which include former Griefdrummer Chuck Conlon. However, it was evident even early on that the new incarnation is not a tribute band, but an altogether intriguing evolution of the progenitor's classic sound. Much credit for this growth is to some degree owed to the presence of Hébert behind the microphone. His voice demands your attention and obedience, with a wiry snarl and dexterous attack. With a foundation ballasted by Conlon and bassist Tim Simpson, "Take Me In My Sleep" is a lethal selection for this seven-inch.

Speaking of veteran experience, -(16)- makes their presence felt on the second seven-inch, employing its renowned sludge prowess with slicing riffs, grave soil dark bass and vocals that rattle you like kicking a pile of spent bullet shells across a concrete floor. In the hands of -(16)-, a song by iconic post-punk clan Killing Joke is not just a particularly savage cover, but a fearless reimagining of some of the English band's best work. The showcase player here is Bobby Ferry, whose guitar plows through this originally brisk paced song with a hint of speed yet still faithful to what -(16)- does best. Similarly Cris Jerue's singing takes a page from Jaz Coleman, yet blows open the doors to put his band's stamp on this rendition. With Barney Firks on bass and Dion Thurman at the drum kit, -(16)-shows new and stalwart fans just how effectively the group is able to rejuvenate this material.

These tracks – and the sheer quality of the performers – taken in, it is evident that Fistulahas quite a high bar to meet on what is a marquee placement for the band.

If you are familiar with the Devo song Fistula covers on that split with -(16)-,the 1994 track is one of those sublime post-rock/electronic hybrids that made the band innovators so visionary, as well as one of the best known Rock & Roll Hall of Fame snubs. It is a bold choice; its early-math rock guitar and slinky synths could be hard to pull off for a band loved for its sludge. Where it works best is when Fistula are faithful to the original, with just that hint of vacant eyed stare that made them such a musical terror. With a similarly terse beginning, it's into a straight-ahead mashing of guitars and boiling-over vocals. Fistula are wildly accurate with their strikes – a driving rhythm section is met at flourishes by effects, growls punctuate the mood with urgency, and, in less than three-and-a-half minutes, the squad owns the song.

It is its original music, however, where Fistula delivers its real coup de grace. "Contusion" is its selection from the split with Come to Grief, and it delivers a delicious mix of sludge, with a hint of hardcore and doom. A pulsing bass courtesy of Greg Peel undergirds the impenetrable riffs, while Dan Harrington's anguished vocals command your focus. As a quintet, the group uses all its instruments to their fullest potential; dual guitars, drums and bass stretch out across the nearly six-minute track and set a pensive mood, only to recoil with fury again and again as the song cranks up and finally down. You have a lot to look forward to in the next release from one of sludge's best.

Both Splits are available here

Band info: fistula || -(16)- || Come To Grief

RIFF REWIND (17/5/2012): ÆGES - 'The Bridge'

ÆGES (pronounced “ages”), ambitious rock n’ roll soundscapes and melodies the size of mountains are the electrifying result of four men from diverse musical backgrounds united by their shared love of loud guitars, big drums and catchy songs. Since joining forces in Downtown Los Angeles, guitarists/vocalists Kemble Walters and Cory Clark, drummer Mike Land and bassist Tony Baumeister have concocted a thrilling sound that’s both nostalgic and forward thinking.

ÆGES has made the improbable marriage of massive extremes their hallmark, steering beyond the simple combination of sonic crunch and melodic hooks into a hypnotizing and enchanting lane occupied by pioneering acts like Queens Of The Stone Age and Soundgarden.

Their debut album “The Bridge” (2012) was a guitar driven affair whose singular focus gave way to the even bigger sonic tapestry found on “Above & Down Below” (2014) (review here), cementing ÆGES as four players with distinctive strengths that combine to make something virtually unrivaled today, as clearly evidenced by every single song on their latest release” Weightless” (review here)  Today, however we cast our minds back to their 2012 debut, which I proclaimed was a ‘truly brilliant record’.  So let us rewind the riffs to  this day 5 years ago and 17/5/ 2012.  Check out the brilliant ÆGES.

Source: Another Century here

"The Bridge" By: Aaron Pickford

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 17/04/2012

Label: The Mylene Sheath

 

‘What makes ‘The Bridge’ so great and so different is that ÆGES have produced an album unlike anything else out there and as a result this should be applauded.  ‘The Bridge’ is a truly brilliant record’

'The Bridge' CD/DD/LP track listing:

1. Wrong (4:00)

2. My Medicine (2:36)

3. Southern Comfort (5:03)

4. Doesn’t Feel The Same (2:48)

5. Sent From Heaven (Rest In Dirt) (4:18)

6. The Bridge (5:45)

7. Roaches (3:07)

8. The Words We Say (3:57)

9. I Believe In Ghosts (2:17)

10. Fade Out (5:18)

The Review: 

Hailed in some quarters as a ‘Super Group’ of sorts, ÆGES are a breath of fresh in the genre of heavy music, in so much as they remain startlingly heavy whilst retaining a strong element of melody and a tantalising blend of screamed/clean vocals.  The most obvious comparison I could draw upon to describe their music would be ‘Antenna’ era Cave In, indeed Kemble Walters’ vocals reminds me a lot of Stephen Brodsky from the aforementioned band.

So what is on offer with ‘The Bridge’ and why should readers part with their hard earned cash?  Basically ÆGES have produced some of catchiest songs I have ever heard and incorporate the best of elements of metal, e.g. ‘Nasty Riffs’ alongside a staggering vocal performance courtesy of Kemble Walters.  The album is jam packed full of hooky, tantalising Helmet esque riffs, with a hint of that trademark Henry Bogdan bassline.  The twin guitar delivery on opening track ‘Wrong’, is juxtaposed with intricacy and simplicity, with ample amounts of cool phrasing, supported admirably by a solid rhythm section.  The riffs are to die for and at the centre of it, with breathtakingly raw and pure vocal performance. If only medicine could taste as good as this record sounds and the track ‘My Medicine’ chips in with some wonderously floaty guitar fills, bass heavy riffs with hybrid of tonality somewhere between KoRn and Kyuss, with added desert rock spice.  Again the song is just plain catchy, leaving the listener captivated and mystified as a result of spontaneously bursting into song.  This is a big plus point for the album, in that you feel yourself being compelled to sing, seemingly unconsciously and spasmodically. 

The songs just get better and better, one memorable song after another, ‘Southern Comfort’ with its acoustic intro, then into another banger of a riff, the simplicity of which are another source of the albums strength. Bucket loads of thick dirgy riffs and incorporating layers of guitar fills to add variety and texture, keeping the listener engrossed as a result.  ‘Doesn’t Feel The Same’, turns on the 90’s alt metal style, with bursts of influence from Helmet or say Handsome, coupled with aggression, punchy drums and that Henry Bogdan bass tone.  The track is just mouth watering, with a raw groove aesthetic, which is beguiling and mesmeric.  Indeed it’s a track that could been written by Page Hamilton himself. The record is just loaded and brimming with riffs that leave you beaming from ear to ear. 

‘Sent From Heaven (Rest In Dirt)’ has a very sludgy vibe, with a post metal esque opening riff and the vocals on this track are majestic, with a nod to Cave In sdding further dynamics to the record with thrashy galloped riffs at times.  The fuzzy production creates a massive “wall of sound” which only serves to strengthen the tone of the sludgy guitars and the drum work.  ‘The Bridge’ is an assault on the senses, due to the battery of the drums and the layers of riffs that reminded me of the band Zozobra. The track is a big tune, with a strong traditional vibe to it with an amazing hooky chorus and slight variations on the same riffs, which are driving and crunchy.  Kemble Walters is on fire at this point and gives the track his strongest vocal performance, with an almost falsetto type vocal at times.  ‘Roaches’ with its Big Black esque intro is just plain aggressive and bombastic, incorporating the use of background vocals to accentuate the song.  It is the most straight forward track and most aggressive on offer.  Added to the track are hints of distorted bass and a strong bouncy groove. 

The final 3 tracks on the album continue the general tone of the album and each one could easily be big singles for the record and should rightly propel this album into becoming ‘The Feel Good Metal Album Of The Summer.’  What makes ‘The Bridge’ so great and so different is that ÆGES have produced an album unlike anything else out there and as a result this should be applauded.  ‘The Bridge’ is a truly brilliant record

Band info: Bandcamp |Facebook 

ALBUM REVIEW: Weltesser - "Crestfallen"

By:  Grim Trashcan

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 27/01/2016

Label: Prosthetic Records

Weltesser magnificently blends elements of old-school sludge/punk sensibilities and white hot riff-manipulation with the precise amount of drawn out feedback manipulation that more than harshes your fucking mellow - it pisses all over it.

“Crestfallen” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Regret

2). Guide

3). Living to Try

4). Terminal

5). Rats

6). Crestfallen

The Review:

Full disclosure folks: I pre-ordered the physical release of this album based off one preview track months ago. Let your assumptions fly and cast your cynical flavor over this entire review if you must. That being said, "Crestfallen" by Weltesseris such a fucking banger on so many crucial levels - subjective bias can be blindly removed from the equation. 

On to more important matters: Sour Diesel. The promo sticker on this record makes mention of it in a phrase stating "fueled by sour diesel and misery". Perfect in such non-ironic fashion. When I think of the many strains of cannabis and the resulting psychoactive effects of each specific phenotype, sativa stands out as the intellectual, introspective, active cerebral champion of creativity and focus. A cleansing, rejuvenating experience that sort of hits the reset button on the stagnation of couch-locked pain mitigation and life's daily aches and woes. I'm looking at you, Indica. Weed references aside, Weltesser magnificently blends elements of old-school sludge/punk sensibilities and white hot riff-manipulation with the precise amount of drawn out feedback manipulation that more than harshes your fucking mellow - it pisses all over it. 

Listening to this, I can draw some similarities to old -(16)- material, sort of. There's an aggression here that is apparent but it comes off more frustrated and finite as opposed to raw and unbridled. The guitar tone skirts the plane between caustic mid-ranged savagery within the riff dynamic and then it gets accompanied by what sounds like another guitar but is actually the bass providing bright swaths of feedback manipulation in breakdowns and transitions. Other times, the roles are cleverly reversed while the bass slams along on a trance inducing pattern and the guitar screams the complimentary sirens. The opposing dynamics offer pretty much the space and breathing room for the drummer to handle his role in perfectly understated and civilized fashion, sneaking in high-hat commas and periods on groove based sentences. Dynamics in dissonance. Emphasis on feel and timing. No more is that expressed in the title track at the very end of the record. As a complete listening experience - it seems like the relatively quickly moving tracks lead you to the final push that is "Crestfallen". 

The entire album tears along at such a perfect pace, with catch your breath moments that get growl-howled over like the stand out stretch that occurs early on in the track "Guide". Yelled melody with a deliverance that conveys more than anger- seemingly cathartic release. The transition from the ending of that song into "Living to Try" should be a case-study example for all aspiring sonic dark sorcerers in how to draw in pure shadow. This doesn't sound like misery and doom for the sake of being miserable and doomed. It sounds like an anxious spirit trying to navigate the crumbling, failing nature of existence and interaction within either itself or its surroundings. We've all been there. One too many edibles in a social setting and your soul literally shudders from its own presence. 

An overview at the lyric sheet/insert that accompanied this record revealed much more to me than I had expected. As sort of a mission statement or parameter setting series of phrases the group has decided to share some words of wisdom to the listener: "It is hard to desire consciousness. Watching people live their lives, fighting tirelessly for a home that has already been wasted. It's exhausting. Constantly checking myself, constantly working for a better stay, but it will never be better. The redundancy of our music, of our words, is to push this subject. It will never be better. You will always be working on yourself. You will always be anxious and alone. Your friends and family mean nothing. You'll amount to nothing. Remember that." 

Got it? In case you forget, you can get re-assured by the final and my favorite experience on this offering - the epic 8 minute title track.   From silence barks out pretty much the over-arcing theme and value of this record - dealing with life as it is presented to you. To literally live in your anxieties because ultimately you'll amount to nothing. Also on display during this last song is the bands talent at locking in those perfectly synchronized, sort of abstract feedback moments that if not handled properly or overdone by some could border on obnoxious or pretentious. Not so in this application at all.

This record is great and you should buy it. Not because I said so, but because you need to hear this. It's something new on so many levels and if it doesn't serve to help you question what this proposed genre is doing or can be capable of - then I feel bad for you. I'm glad this album exists. When it ends I literally take a deep breath and feel as if the band has helped me take it. A reset button on stagnation and couch-lock. 

“Crestfallen” is available here

Band info: bandcamp|| facebook