Hatebeak/Caninus "Split" 7"
[Reptilian]
A novelty? Hell yes it is, but no more perfect a novelty 7" has ever existed. Do the math: Hatebeak is members of Triac with a parrot (Waldo) on "vocals", and Caninus is members of Most Precious Blood with two pitbulls (Budgie and Basil) on "vocals". Hatebeak's side of the record mocks Nile with "Birds Seeds of Vengeance" (their logo mocking that of Hatebreed), and Caninus takes the cover of Napalm Death's "Scum" and replaces the logos of enormous multinational corporations with the logos of unhealthy/animal-unfriendly pet food companies like Alpo and Iams for their half of the EP (dubbed "Wolfpig"). Admittedly I didn't fully appreciate the value of Hatebeaks's humor when their demo hit the streets, but now it's all too apparent just how hilarious they are. They take side A with three quick tracks of brutal death/grind that blends the sounds of mid-period Carcass with classic Swedish death metal, so expect everything from thick and speedy tremolo picking to slow and crunchy rhythms with lots of grit to the guitar texture - plus occasional lead lines or noisy textures. And, of course, the squealing, squawking parrot "vocals" - sometimes arranged more closely to the music than others. "Feral Parrot" gets a little more technical than the other songs, almost leaning towards a Death circa "Individual Thought Patterns" kind of thing at times. My only minor complain on this outing is that Waldo the parrot, while the star of the show, is mixed too loud, so the already noisy recording is clouded a bit more. They pull off the programmed drums very well, but most of the basslines gets lost and the more intricate guitar work is definitely a little bit of a blur on occasion. Caninus follows on side B with five tracks of their own brand of drum machine grind, which happens to be slower and moshier, but still possesses some eerie melody (not unlike Hatebeak, but certainly sounding quite different overall). Most of the "vocals" are growls and snarls, if not barks, and it's of course safe and obvious to point out that there's no truer use of the words "growl", "snarl", or "bark" in reference to a band than this. Samples appear on occasion as well, more so than with Hatebeak, and add texture to largely instrumental tracks like "God Eat God World" and "Sensationalize : Demonize", which let dirty basslines play a more prominent role backing the samples. Their recording also leaves a little to be desired, but surprisingly the drum machine once again works well. It's the rigid and unnatural guitar tone that kind of kills a bit of the force this time out, as a heavier guitar sound would balance the guitar work much better against the "vocals". The packaging looks sort of rough but the humor value makes up for all of that, with Caninus going so far as to include fake lyrics. It's not the kind of record you're gonna listen to on a regular basis, but it's fucking hilarious and worth the price for the very notion alone. I imagine this thing's gonna sell fast as hell, so pick one up now, because if you wait it'll more than likely go out of print. (7/10)
Running time - 12:00 (approximately), Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: Birds Seeds of Vengeance, Feral Parrot, God Eat God World, Sensationalize : Demonize]
Reptilian Records - http://www.reptilianrecords.com

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