Buzzoven "Welcome to Violence" CD
[Alternative Tentacles]
I was never really into this North Carolina act in their heyday for whatever reason, but this awesome re-release of their early-90's Allied Records output definitely leaves me wondering why I never explored more of their material back then.  Included herein are a whopping 21 tracks in well over an hour, consisting of their debut 1993 full-length, "To a Frown", the 1994 7" "Unwilling to Explain", and the 1992 7" "Wound", with the "Unwilling to Explain" sessions boasting two unreleased recordings on this collection (alternate versions of tracks that later appeared on their second full-length, "Sore").  The band's style is a dirty and in your face brand of sludgy southern mayhem, but while just as caustic and drenched in feedback and drug consumption as, say, Eyehategod and the like, Buzzoven's songwriting was much more graspable than their contemporaries - blending filthy hardcore/punk rock with twisted dissonance, a sense of noisy chaotic underpinnings, and a generally grimy disposition that offers a ton of tempo changes from the energetic and borderline catchy (in a vile rock ‘n' roll kind of way) to pounding and dirge-like surges.  And the vocals are snarlingly unhinged shouts/screams that aren't necessarily as over the top as you might anticipate, definitely playing into the air of intensely bitter depression and pessimism expressed through this material.  Plus there are plenty of sampled segues lending some atmosphere to all that bitter attitude.  So in the end they have as much in common with Fudge Tunnel as they do with Eyehategod, among others, with an end result that's more their own individual presence.  And what about songs like the nine-minute "Weeding"?  Like other tracks herein there are definite hints of what could be called "doom" or "stoner rock" in this slow paced bruiser, but I'd hesitate to lean too far in that kind of a direction, because most of this stuff feels more rhythmic, more disturbed, and... I don't know... it's just not really in that vein, you know?  It's just pissed off and fucked up and sinister, and they're not fucking around.  They avoid the trappings of most of those genres entirely though, its more the band's background and overall character that lumps them in with that stuff... I mean, these guys were the real deal, you know?  "To a Frown" is among the more memorable cuts, with shorter tunes like "Shove" and especially "Splinter My Eye" injecting more of the rough punk influence, while longer and more spacious work like the incredible "Drained" launches into a more intense and intimidating beast.  "Hollow" is among the more caustic tracks, unloading a repetitious churn of dissonantly textured chords and relentless screaming; though perhaps the brief yet aptly titled instrumental "Scrunge" is the finest example of the band's penchant for nasty, churning sounds.  The tracks from the LP are pretty damn solid in the production department, offering up a great bass presence and a generally balanced mix with punchy percussion and aptly gritty guitars that certainly don't lack any density.  Sometimes the vocals lean a little out front, but that's not big deal at all in this case.  The "Unwilling to Explain" EP sounds slightly muffled, but still pretty solid overall, while the "Wound" 7" definitely has a really rugged recording going on.  It's definitely not as clear or up front, so it almost has a live sort of thing happening, but I can listen to it.  Despite the fact that there are no lyrics included and the actual documentation about these tracks in the booklet is slim to none, the artwork looks great and the liner notes (contributed from band members, label owners, friends, etc. - among them members of Eyehategod and Antiseen, to name but a few) definitely portray an abrasive history for the band, and make for a nice accompaniment to the reissue.  This is definitely a worthy acquisition for those that missed these otherwise out of print recordings the first time around, though any such listeners who are into the associated styles that Buzzoven explored would be highly advised to grab this sooner than later.  The "To a Frown" LP certainly overshadows the EP's, but who cares?  It's such a killer slab of material it makes the disc worth the price on its own - so just look at the other 10 tracks as a healthy bonus! (7/10)
Running time - 78:09, Tracks: 21
[Notable tracks: To a Frown, Drained, Wound, Weeding, Hollow, I Don't Like You, Blinded]
Alternative Tentacles - http://www.alternativetentacles.com

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