Rue kicks it off here with four tracks of gruff "stoner rock" that's starting to remind me of earlier Alabama Thunderpussy the more I listen to it. The thickness of the gritty guitar tone and distorted bass, the writing tactics, elements of the vocals (which are hoarsely yelled with an edge of singing), etc. The songs are a little longer here than some of the band's past work, but tracks like "Shit Talker" still mix in some classic hardcore/punk chord progression amidst the sludgy 70's influenced runs and plodding rhythms that are more expected of the genre. They add some singing vocals in at times as well, but I prefer the aggressive delivery because the singing sounds slightly forced and uncomfortable, whereas the throaty shouts are really forceful. "Lengthy Delusion" is shorter and also has that rocked out hardcore/punk aesthetic (mentioning Mot?rhead wouldn't be out of line either), while "Throes of Life" is more midpaced and has some really memorable vocal patterns that add a lot of energy to the track. The recording is damn good, too. The drums are thick and totally natural, the bass is dense as hell and thickens things up, and guitars run the show with lots of thick and nasty distortion. The bass tends to get lost since its distortion falls right I with the guitar textures, but that's not a big deal here. The lyrics are pretty bleak and deal with day to day bullshit, but the approach is definitely blunt and unlike most acts out there: "Ever diminishing hopes and dreams, Believe me, man, I know it seems useless, pointless, there's no escape." Overall I like this just a bit more than their self-titled disc. Aldebaran follows with four cuts of their own take on this style, which is much more menacing and sinister. It's a little slower, a little more plodding and eerie, and the vocals are wicked screams... quite bitter. They also let the basslines roam around a bit rather than constantly thickening up the pulsing guitar chords, which is pretty effective. With longer songs, their work gets a little more repetitive and deals with a larger number of drawn out instrumental passages, but it's a consistent listen and that all works just fine. "They Bend the Trees and Crush the Cities" has a crushing rhythm that's one of the darker and doomier moments herein, while still flirting with some note-based riffs that do have that modern heaviness take on the 70's rock aesthetic. "The Obscene" is probably the most menacing piece herein though, going for the throat with an acerbic vocal attack and strong dissonance after an initial glaze of unusual clean guitars. The eight-minute "Tower of Famine" opens with some watery clean guitars, complete with a few laidback lead lines over prominent bass rhythms, distortion finally coming in after several minutes, getting slightly more frantic at the midway point before the vocals finally kick in. Sound-wise they're also in a good position, slightly rawer, but good nonetheless. The bass has a little more of its own space as compared to Rue's efforts, and the mix is slightly more cohesive. The tones are all warm and natural though, which tends to be a common (thankfully) tactic with this genre. The guitar tone is a little heavier on the midrange, so it's not quite as chunky, but has a definite bite to it, so that's cool. Here the songs tend to deal more with violent fantasy types of tales or something along those lines. "In this tower of famine my mind will dwell, As flesh is ravaged by time, Erected in days a monument to shit, This coffin is what I call home..." Not exactly my thing, but they could be far, far worse. The layout's all done in black and white and looks nice and consistent with simple text arrangements and cool artwork of barbaric looking warriors and skeletal figures on horseback preparing for battle or whatever. Regardless the visuals look cool, and that's what matters. I'm into this. Rue has improved, and while I had never heard Aldebaran before, I'm certainly not let down. Fans of this style should more than likely be pretty big on this material.
[Shifty]
Running time - 41:27, Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: Shit Talker, Throes of Life, They Bend the Trees and Crush the Cities, The Obscene]
Shifty Records - http://www.shiftyrecords.com
