Hatebeak "s/t" CD
[self-released]
All I know about this project is that it includes current and former members of Catholic Priest, Daybreak, and The Index. The CD-R face is totally blank, the front cover has a black and white image of some sort of fossilized bird on it, and that's it. No other information is included whatsoever. Very bizarre. Hell, the band name isn't even on here anywhere! Musically this is totally lo-fi grind/noise with a drum machine and squawking vocal growls/screams that do indeed sound like hateful beaks are involved. Either that or pigs. They could be pigs. There's no real song structure in the first track, as the drums will be blasting away alongside death/grind riffing, random vocal squeals and solos, etc. The second and third tracks have a bit more going on musically as far as diverse riffing with some slower tempos and great dissonance (mainly in the second piece), but the vocals are still just random squawks and squeals that may or may not be uttering actual words (probably not). The recording could definitely be better. The bass gets lost most of the time, the vocals dominate, the drum machines don't have that much clarity, and the guitar tone sounds like it was recorded direct. I'm sure they just did this to have some fun, so... whatever. I like a lot of the riffs, but the mix needs work and the tones aren't quite clean enough to work, even for a raw sort of vibe. Honestly the best thing about this are the samples. The disc starts out with a real gem: "I'm gonna make birdseed outta your face, with my foot. Ain't no doubt in my mind, partner." Fucking hilarious! But musically I can't really get into this. The band name fits. I'll say that. If very large birds were being tortured these vocals are precisely the sounds that would be emitted. This one's good for a chuckle, but beyond that it sort of falls flat. (4/10)
Running time - 7:19, Tracks: 3
[Notable tracks: all three are untitled]
Hatebeak - http://www.manofthegear.com

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