Review: Shitfire “It Runs Deep” CD

Okay, I'm gonna be a dick here at times, but bear with me... I have good intentions. First off, though... that band name is horrible. I guess I could live with it if the packaging had a really powerful visual aesthetic to it, but... it doesn't. So the band name immediately rubs me the wrong way and starts to form the initial impression that this CD is going to be horrible. Continuing that impression is the fact that the layout is completely wretched. At first I thought this was a CD-R in xeroxed packaging because the print quality is kind of foggy and the design is just hideous, but it's actually a professionally pressed CD. The artwork is atrocious and the text can get cluttered, so I'm not into the look of it in any way. For a professional release it does not at all look the part. The lyrics are kind of goofy and overly simple, dealing with lame topics like getting high, and a few other more general tracks dealing with violence, suffering, etc. Not for me. I could also live with the lyrics were everything else fully in order, but again... not the case. So, why am I being such a douchebag? Because musically speaking these guys aren't bad at all. The recording needs a little work (more on that later), but from a songwriting standpoint this is some nice doom/sludge with some really creative uses of massive dissonant chords and interesting note choices that really sets itself apart from the pack. Just check out the incredible intro to "Catapult", which is simply awesome in its combination of sheer heaviness and melody. And that's what most of the tracks offer: Lots of sludgy riffing that blends churning chords with southern-tinged rock riffs and sinister discordant runs that make the overall vibe much darker than average (for "stoner rock", anyway), and totally gruff vocals that aren't quite what I'd call "singing", though they do come close. Imagine a mix of Crowbar and Alabama Thunderpussy or something like that, but with a little extra something tossed in to make it its own beast. I think the vocals need a little work to sound more confident and convincing in regards to the music, and some of the little lead riffs aren't quite tight enough (see the start of "Grand Prize Game"), but when they're on point they do some damage. The recording is too muddy and I don't think it's mastered loud enough, but with minimal work they'd be dead on. The guitars are thick and have some nasty texture, the bass kind of gets lost but is adding density, the drums and vocals sound good while barely distant, and so on. Give the bass more room and add a little more of a bite to the guitars for clarity and I think you'd be damn near set. The leads and the note-based riffs do need to be far more fluid, though... that stuff falls really flat compared to the sheer force of the rhythm passages, seriously. "Catapult" is by far the best song herein though, so I'd rather them focus on that style of playing anyway - granted the lighter dynamic shifts in "RiverRails" layering clean and distorted guitars are also pretty cool... so the disc opens at its highest point. I'm tempted to be a total shithead and give this a 5/10 because the band name is immature, the lyrics aren't as creative as the music, and the packaging is a fucking crime - just to stress the fact that I actually have some faith in these guys' musical talents and sincerely question how seriously they'll get taken presenting themselves in this manner. I know that not everyone is even half as neurotic as I am, but in all honesty this music deserves something more mature, intelligent, and aesthetically powerful to carry its weight. But I guess I won't. I'll look forward to hearing their next outing, especially if they continue to progress. If the next one looks this bad I'm really gonna get ruthless, though!