The End "Transfer Trachea Reverberations From Point: False Omniscient" CD
[Relapse]
Here's some of that "crazy go nuts" chaotic, dissonant, abrasive, jarring metalcore type of stuff (as that whacked out album title should tell you) from Canada. They seem to be diggin' this action up in Canada, eh? This EP was originally released in 2001 by Re-define Records and now it's being re-released by Relapse for whatever reason. All of the vocals on this disc were handled by the band's former frontman, though they now have a new vocalist. What this band has going for them is a fairly complex set of songs with great drumming, superb bass work that runs all over the place and doesn't mirror the guitars, and some calm/jazzy breaks that I absolutely love. But they really need to just slow down and take a look at their song structures, because despite their technical prowess and a slew of incredible riffs, these songs tend to become a jumbled mess that isn't the easiest listen - even at a mere 22 minutes. "Opalescence.I" is an instrumental that is far more laidback and enjoyable than most of the other material herein, whereas "For Mankind, Limited Renewal" is a brief little foray into some experimental noise textures that does offer a bit of a breather from the blasting chaos that surrounds it. But "Entirety in Infancy" is by far the best complete song on the CD. The singing vocals are an excellent touch, the choppy rhythms of the heavy riffing work well against the clean breaks, etc. They never stray too far out there to lose you or break the flow of the composition, and that's what they need to be working on achieving across the board. The recording isn't that bad. It's shockingly clear, and I think that works to their benefit because every little note is audible, which is an especially gracious treat when it comes to the bass runs and the drum fills. A bit more low-end and a way to somehow balance the sheer intensity of the explosive screaming vocals wouldn't hurt, but it's not entirely necessary either. This is definitely a solid effort on the production front. The front cover is actually printed on the back of the traycard, with the back cover printed on the front of the booklet. The layout is somewhat skimpy, presenting the lyrics in tiny, clean type, and repeating somewhat disturbing images of sinewy tissues that stretch across the cover. The lyrics are brief and cryptic, and actually they're not bad, despite the fact that they don't particularly mean anything to me. "Don't release starving orchids into the world. They'll die just like the last one. Again. They'll stare right in your eyes. It's all frozen and choking. When we're whispering and laughing... and so we stop. Plural. Literal. Coldsweat. Drenched in sanguine fluid and measured for infection." This is definitely not something I could listen to on a regular basis, and I think they need work... however, I cannot deny their musical abilities, and there are so many solid riffs offered here that I have to give them credit, even if most of the songs aren't the most exciting things I've heard lately. (6/10)
Running time - 22:05, Tracks: 7
[Notable tracks: Opalescence.I, The Asphyxiation of Lisa-Claire, Entirety in Infancy]
Relapse Records - http://www.relapse.com

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