Lockweld "8 Cuts" LP
[NCC]
The deluge of Lockweld vinyl continues with this sawblade-shaped LP - a match that makes perfect sense when it comes to Lockweld, and is probably long overdue when you really think about it. The title of the LP obviously reflects the fact that there are eight tracks herein (simply titled "Cut 1" through "Cut 8"), and this work is somewhat harsher and more in your face than a lot of the group's recent output, complete with some shouting vocals no less, which have become less frequent over the years. It's still somewhat minimal and focused on throbbing, low-end distortion, but there are definitely some grating textures and such blended in with the decidedly darker approach. "Cut 4" has various layers of distortion cutting in and out as a sample fights to be heard, very cool, this one definitely stands out from the other tracks a whole lot. "Cut 6" has some hissy textures alongside almost eerie whirring noises that might almost have an ambient slant were it not for the ruggedness of the overall sound. Despite the fact that there are separations between the tracks I would assume that they were recorded during the same sessions and then chopped up and pieced back together, as certain tracks that don't follow one another recognizably contain some of the same source tones and textures to varying degrees of manipulation. The only real setback I see with this LP is that it's not what I would consider economical. The LP itself is on black vinyl and comes packed in a clear plastic sleeve that cracks rather easily. There's no insert, no cover, nothing. The labels on the LP simply have a logo lifted from the band's website and the song titles, etc. Now, that's fine, but the $20 price is not. I can understand it from the label's point of view because shaped LP's are expensive as fuck to produce, as if normal LP's weren't expensive enough, but in all honesty, I wouldn't pay $20 for this record, and I'm a huge Lockweld fan. What it all boils down to is that $20 needs to be paying for more than a record with a cool shape and some solid noise. I can't imagine many listeners being overly enthusiastic about dropping $20 for a shaped LP that runs about 35 minutes and doesn't even have an insert or any sort of visuals to go along with it. That being said, I do enjoy this record, it does look great, and it is limited to 500 copies. So you'll have to make the call as to what to do with your money. NCC is a great label, and I think they ran into some bullshit with the pressing plant over getting this thing out, but I still can't ignore what I feel is a vastly excessive charge for an otherwise suitable release. (7/10)
Running time - 35:00 (approximately), Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: Cut 2, Cut 4, Cut 6]
NCC Records - http://www.ncc-records.com

This review has been displayed 1151 times.