Switchblade "s/t" CD
[Icarus]
This killer full-length was released on Swedish label Trust No One Recordings back in 2003, and now it's getting the US treatment from Deathwish Inc.'s Icarus imprint, granted it could be argued that this would've been fine at home on Deathwish as well. Expect brooding, crushing heaviness from Sweden in the vein of their fellow countrymen Cult of Luna or earlier Isis, but taking a more stripped down approach without the noise textures and generally devoid of vocals. Six untitled tracks clocking in at over 45 minutes. Some of the more discordant chords even bring to mind older Godflesh with a warmer sound and a live drummer, which is an interesting twist. The basis of the songwriting is consistently rhythmic and relatively repetitive, often building in layers of subtle melody throughout the slow moving tempos, shifting between atmospheric calm passages and burly massiveness effortlessly. The shouting vocals don't make an appearance deep in the thick of it until the third track, uttering a mere two lines just prior to the song's close. Most of the tracks are really long, none less than five minutes, most near or above 10, but they generally pull that off. The recording is fucking perfect. The drums are hugely resonant and natural sounding, the bass tone is dead center in the mix and has plenty of definition, the guitars range from clean to semi-distorted to monstrously heavy, and the mix is perfect if you ask me. There's enough space for each instrument to move on its own without losing detail or cohesiveness. The layout here is similar to the original with only minor alterations, most noticeably that this one comes in a six-panel digipack. The imagery is quite minimal: Black silhouettes of buildings and trees against a spattered orange background, with similar textures inside. Lyrics are included (not indicating which lyrics go with which song), and they're fairly unusual: "Bring your needles and glass pipes for meditation in contempt. Stone yourself to heaven as another pit stop to hell." or "Bitter white sand, undisputed property of light. Search and destroy, on a night train to anywhere. Ready to crash and burn." Nice Guns n' Roses reference!? This is just vicious material. I'd like to hear vocals more often, as even though their music is excellent the similarities and repetition can feel like they need a little something more. But admittedly the compositions are very powerful and emotional even with the focus being on an almost hypnotically pulsing rhythmic dirge. I'd highly recommend this band to fans of the aforementioned acts, as well as those into Pelican, Neurosis, etc. This is hitting me harder this time around than it did before. I'm definitely into it. (8/10)
Running time - 46:56, Tracks: 6
[Notable tracks: all are untitled, but they're all pretty damn good]
Icarus Records - http://www.deathwishinc.com

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