Mataburro "War in the Woods" CD
[Slave Union]
This is weird stuff. Lots of dissonance and chaotic chord progressions mixed with tremolo picking and stuttered rhythms, some great melodic runs, and a fairly technical approach (without getting too far out there). One minute it sounds like grinding chaotic metalcore, then it goes into some death metal riffing, a little melodic Swedish kick, brief hints at a little bit of sludge, and "Stratego" even has some clean guitars that almost have a flamenco sort of sound going on!? Plus the vocals range from high screams to straight shouting, some low growls, singing, etc. There's definitely a lot going on. I will say that I prefer more tangible tracks like "I Dare the Sky" that effectively mix all of their styles with smooth transitions to some of the more caustic and all over the place material, but it's still obvious that this band is onto something. Sadly the recording doesn't do them justice. It actually sounds pretty good, but it's way, way too thin. The guitars are somewhat abrasive, though still heavy, but as soon as the guitars and scathing vocals kick in full blast, the drums lose some of their density and the bass pretty much disappears. And that's a shame, because these cats have a lot going on rhythmically that not only needs to be heard, but it needs to be in place to hold down the backbone of most of these songs. About halfway through the record my ears complete adjusting to the tones, but they definitely need a more beneficial mix. Less treble on the guitars, more volume on the bass... that's a start. But it's clear, they are on the right track. The layout is pretty interesting. I like the fact that you can't gauge what the music sounds like at all by the way the packaging looks. There are some nice illustrations of bears (I guess), some of which have extended necks like giraffes, and the inside of the booklet is set up like a 10-day journal (complete with entries rather than the actual lyrics), using worn paper textures and a font that sort of looks like handwriting (using actual handwriting on worn paper would have been far cooler, but whatever). "Day 8: The woods came alive... all eyes and teeth. Most of my crew is dead. I am in a cave and I hope someone finds this someday. The stars that I used to count are now the millions of eyes that haunt my sleep and I am jealous of the dead men. I found enough timber to keep whatever it is at bay with fire." This is definitely a curious record. I'd like it better if the mix was kinder to the incredible rhythm section, but it's kind of hard on the ears right now, and the writing needs to be a bit more cohesive. On a side note I must also say that I definitely respect this label for selling brand new CD's for $7ppd in the US. That fucking rules. We'll see what this band does next... (6/10)
Running time - 39:45, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: Verminopolis, I Dare the Sky, Sleeping With Spiders]
Slave Union - http://www.slaveunion.com

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