Relevant Few "The Art of Today" CD
[No Tolerance]
Hmmm... I loved the last record from this band of raging Swedish grinders, and in similar fashion this one's another ripper, but sadly the recording lessens the blow here. Not only are the drums a little dominant and rigid (easily tolerable, though definitely rigid), but the vocals are too far up front. Making things worse is the fact that the bass isn't mixed loud enough at all (despite possessing a killer tone), and the guitars are also too thin and quiet. It's a crying shame, because they're not far from the mark, but the end result is definitely inferior because of the production. If they'd just turn up the bass to where it's always present and thickening the guitars, then turn up the guitars to follow suit, they'd be damn near set. Stylistically this is blazing material with a lot of speed (most songs run a minute or less, maybe two, rarely more than that) and a ton of classic styled grindcore feel (i.e. the rhythms are actually powerful and memorable), plus tons of vocal tradeoffs between low growls and varying degrees of screaming. I definitely still hear a lot of Napalm Death-like dissonance in some of the chords, and I love that, especially in this more venomous framework, so these guys still have a lot going for 'em. A few of the runs on this disc (see tracks like "Lustrous Pattern") have more of an outright death metal vibe than in the past as well. "Dull-Shit!" is a 15-second rager that has more of a hardcore/crossover thing happening; the instrumental "T.A.O.T." is made up of bleak, minimal clean guitars and drones leading into by far the longest track at 4:11, "Doomsday Celebration" - of course much slower and sludgier, befitting of the title; "Burst Out" is a fucking textbook grind classic; "Act of Ignorance" is far quirkier rhythmically as well as eerily dissonant in note choice; etc. There are definitely a good number of songs that sound similar to one another, but in my opinion the bar is high enough with these guys that even their "mediocre" songs are better than the majority of grind bands out there right now. The layout looks good and contains some uncommonly politically charged artwork from Travis Smith, with all of the lyrics inside against more minimal black and white textures. As one might guess the themes deal with greed and corruption and the general filth of the world today: "Vultures throng to stash, A pack that slay at slightest scent of cash, For the final bit of arrogance, Vultures throng to stash, Pointless bastards, Callous movements, The white disease..." Another damn solid record overall, but a better recording would've ranked it higher I bet. It takes my ears a good 15 minutes or so to adjust to the overall sound on this one, I'm just glad they're not held back very much by it. If you're into grind this band is essential. (7/10)
Running time - 34:00, Tracks: 25
[Notable tracks: The White Disease, Lustrous Pattern, Doomsday Celebration, Oral Mutual Thieves, Burst Out, Act of Ignorance]
Relevant Few - http://www.relevantfew.com

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