Tear Gas and Plate Glass "The Sea Stranded Whipjack" CD
[self-released]
The first piece here had me thinking this was a hell of a lot different than the band's last demo. They've added a new member to the lineup, but the style is still pretty sludgy and acerbic overall. There are a lot more vocal styles now though, and opening track "The Search for Sagapenum" is more rhythmic and somewhat rocked out. "Cast Off the Koh-I-Noor Calls" definitely ups the aggression factor significantly by bringing in the sick screaming vocals and far more dissonant riffing that has that Crowbar semblance I noted last time around. "A Portolan of Musica Portamento" opens with singing vocals and a thick, slow guitar harmony that sounds sort of like something Nile might do. It sounds like they used a harmonizer though, which gives it a fake edge, and that irritates me. Things get more melodic afterwards, however, continuing with whispering/singing vocals that are actually pretty damn cool. Aside from that opening track the songs are all quite long too, each longer than its predecessor, ending with the 13-minute "An Inhospitable Inquisition of Minds": The doomiest of the compositions by far. It's still got an air of discordant melody to it though, complete with some clean guitars, and it's really fucking powerful as a result. In addition to all of this there are a couple of brief spurts of electronic noise interspersed within the songs, and they actually pull it off quite nicely. The recording's not bad. The use of a live drummer definitely adds to their sound, but the drums still sound almost machinated in tone, which is definitely a hindrance. I actually like the drumming a great deal, they just need a more natural sound. The vocals sound pretty good, but I think the guitars and bass need more volume and fullness (mainly volume, both sound a lot heavier in "An Inhospitable Inquisition of Minds", which is just right). The drums and vocals dominate the mix, and the bass wouldn't be too audible were the guitars as loud as they ought to be. Visually? It's 50/50. See, the outer cover of the DVD case is great: Minimal, simple, clean, almost elegant in a way. Then what? You open it up to see a laminated insert of an illustration of the three band members wearing sunglasses staring you in the face. Horrible decision. The other insert contains lyrics, which don't necessarily give much insight into the odd song titles: "Talk, broke, in pace - Fight, youth, work face, hands down, hold down - I will not drown..." Unusual stuff. It looks pretty good except for that ridiculous drawing of the band - why'd they do that!? Not a bad demo, though. That closing track is a fucking gem. If they can get to the point where everything they do reaches that level they'll be set to fucking kill. (6/10)
Running time - 34:49, Tracks: 4
[Notable tracks: Cast Off the Koh-I-Noor Calls, An Inhospitable Inquisition of Minds]
Tear Gas and Plate Glass - http://www.tgpg.co.uk

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