Crippler Cross Face "Where Did We Put That Dead Horse We've Been Beating" CD
[Urchin]
I guess this is a posthumous release of the only recorded output from this admitted joke band that was put together just for fun (as stated in the liner notes) by a bunch of dudes who were (or ended up) involved with As the Sun Sets, Blood Has Been Shed, Bury Your Dead, Daughters, and What Feeds the Fire, among several others. The result is a mere seven minutes of material that basically amounts to frantic metalcore meets power violence with plenty of grinding tremolo picking, chaotic rhythm changes and dissonant note choices, relentless screaming vocals with a few growls, etc. Most of the songs are less than a minute (none more than 1:03), which keeps things moving, but despite a few decent tunes it's nothing special. It's nowhere near as good as some of the bands the members have been a part of otherwise, so... you know, it basically does come off as a brief joke project. It's not funny, mind you, no lyrics are included and you can't make out one word of the vocals, so it's just a quick blast of grind/metalcore. Some of the thrashier playing in "I Miss You Sweet Mercy" is nice but too sloppy to really work, and as usual I find the blistering tremolo picked runs to be bland as hell. Things kind of get more frantic and intense as the disc goes on, but I actually think that the first half of the CD is a little stronger (the slower and more dissonant intro to "Dear John..." is cool, though). The recording's not bad. I've heard worse, so for what it is it gets the job done. The guitars are pretty heavy without going over the top, the bass is audible, the drums are dry and sound fine, the mix is balanced, and so on. It's definitely a little dirty and raw, but why would it sound polished, you know? It's a matter of context. The layout keeps it minimal with some black and white images of dead horses on desolate landscapes with plain text. That's that. It looks a little bland and rough, but such is life. No lyrics are included, just brief one-liners hinting at the content. This isn't really for me. The first song had me thinking it might be a good little EP, but in the end it's too typical and harnesses very little force for as short as it is. Stick with the members' other bands, as they've gotten more attention than this project for a reason. (5/10)
Running time - 6:49, Tracks: 9
[Notable tracks: Volens Non Valeo/Blood on the Dancefloor, Sex Toys and Power Tools]
Urchin Incorporated - http://www.urchininc.com

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