Artimus Pyle "Fucked From Birth" CD
[Prank]
God damnit, this band fucking rules. I've liked what I've heard thus far on 7"s and splits, and this full-length continues in that fine tradition of crushing/tightly performed hardcore/punk with a major array of tempos from blasting speeds and straightforward chord progressions that have a more modern take on the classic hardcore vibe to slower and more punishing rhythms that can border on the doomy at times. The vocals are relentless midrange screams that are mixed hard in against the music for optimal force, and of course there's plenty of dissonance here as well, be it in the form of slightly frantic rhythms or textures or more eerily melodic chords/notes. The only minor problem I'd cite with this record is that the focus is more often than not on speed, and I tend to get a little tired of that. They use speed very fucking well, but their moderately paced to slow runs are infinitely more powerful, and I'd like to hear more dashes of that spicing things up from time to time. Take for instance the slower chords and destructive bass in "No Birds", or the consistently slower "Decisions" with its emphasis on thick percussion and chunkier chord progressions. It's not a real bother though, because when they hit paydirt they hit it hard. The intro to "Showdown" uses clean guitars very briefly, but keeps the sullen atmosphere going even when things speed up and get slightly more caustic, and there are actually a lot of fast paced changes between riffs and tempos that makes this song work out great in the end. Significantly longer tracks (late in the game) like "Already Dead" even drop some menacingly slow rhythms with a bit of sludge and intense feedback, coming as a bit of a surprise compared to the rest of the songs. The production fucking slays, too. No gripes from me. It's loud as fuck, heavy, thick, there's no space in the mix, it's not muddy... I wouldn't touch a damn thing. The bass tone is oppressive (in a good way) and makes itself heard in a major way by just pounding the fuck away like a jackhammer, the percussion sounds full and natural, and the guitars are hard hitting without being too crisp. The layout looks damn fine and uses collaged lettering and tons of high contrast black and white imagery to keep the themes running, and the lyrics are cool too because they are not fuckin' happy. The socio-political messages aren't over the top, but the overall tone is clear as fuckin' day, and that shit is bitter. "Realization more painful than a lifetime of longing, The art of self seduction looks like shit on the wall of an empty room, and darkness brings solitude, Blinded by sleepless tears, This is not alright, I am not alright." Killer stuff. Very much recommended. This band still strikes me as underrated, I'm not sure why I don't hear them talked about more often. All aspects of this release are solid, so don't pass 'em up. (8/10)
Running time - 25:41, Tracks: 12
[Notable tracks: Shitstorm, Showdown, Decisions, Lineage]
Prank Records - http://www.prankrecords.com

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