Hell yeah. Despite having existed and endured numerous lineup changes over the course of many years, this is only Suzukiton's debut full-length, and I've actually been looking forward to this for awhile. In fact, they've switched two band members just since the recording of this CD, which was tracked more than three years ago and I believe originally self-released by the band prior to this edition. I caught these guys live about a year ago and was way into their brand of diverse instrumental metal, which is displayed here in 13 tracks that range from thrashy, chugging picking patterns and churning math rock rhythms complete with jarring shifts and occasionally off kilter time signatures to twisted chord progressions and winding, sludgy metal riffs - all within compact timeframes that average around two to three minutes apiece. "Arithmatits" opens by effectively hinting at most of the band's palette without giving anything away, before "Meatal" offers the first slab of churning palm-muting and midpaced punch. "Rogue Mechanica" is by far the longest track at nearly five minutes, starting off with slower, darker discordance before building into something that should appeal to "stoner rock" fans - though its menacing waves aren't something I would literally tag with that description, mind you. "Shit Trigger" opens with some slightly more energetic than average fare building around some traditional metal riffing contrasted with sustained power chords for added breathing room on sparse occasions; while "Aquachimp" flirts with some thick dissonance that starts to hint at some Confessor-isms for brief periods before shifting gears into some late-80's thrash sounding picking patterns - definitely one of the most badass tracks herein! Ironically, a song dubbed "Chugga" follows, but it's actually not as ballsy as "Aquachimp" in terms of actual chugging madness!? And "Melon" may sound like a lighthearted title, but the caustically noisy lead work and frenzied drum fills that litter this piece alongside pulsing bass and pronounced dual guitar interaction actually make for one of the darker compositions in terms of overall atmosphere. "Slow Song" closes things out and is, fittingly, made up of gorgeous clean guitars and droning background textures that create a melodic and emotional tide that could prove immensely promising should the band explore this angle more in the future. Good stuff. The recording's actually really damn good, too. Everything sounds nice and natural with a barely rugged edge at the outer periphery of the mix, while the percussion is super crisp, the bass is thick as hell, and the guitars are heavy and crunchy without taking things too far (the guitar tone is actually perfect for the palm-muting stuff). The mix is really clear and fairly balanced as well. I think I'd like to hear the bass given a hint more room in there to work its magic (And not just because bassist Bill Rose has some chops, but also because, let's face it, the dude's the sole original member of the band, so he deserves a little more dominance in there!), and certain elements of the drums could stand for a smidge of added low-end warmth, but for the most part they've nailed it. Visually things are fairly basic, with a minimal color scheme and imagery fitting of the record's title, while the inner spread contains some black and white shots of the band and that's that. This is incredibly solid work for an instrumental unit, and they definitely seem to have a clear grasp of exactly what they're doing... as well as how to do it right. Since this was originally recorded so long ago, my hope is that they'll have some new material on the way soon. I'll look forward to hearing it, absolutely.
[Crucial Blast]
Running time - 34:49, Tracks: 13
[Notable tracks: Meatal, Rogue Mechanica, Aquachimp, Melon, Slow Song]
Crucial Blast - http://www.crucialblast.net
