Tragedy- Darker Days Ahead LP review

Tragedy- Darker Days Ahead LP review

Not quite as fast as the older material, but this album is a demonstrably positive evolution of the band- that’s how one releases four albums over the course of thirteen years while staying fresh.  This album is FAR from stale- it’s heavier than ever and has gotten much more complex, but still retains a similar level of energy as their previous work.  Melodic, almost acoustic interludes, long intros, and of course, heavy hitting hardcore-influenced crust to hold all the parts of the songs together.  The album does not particularly have a standout track- it is steadily hovering between good and great throughout the entire record.

The vocals are near-English accent sounding shouts of furious, wrathful anger and despair, comparable to previous material, but seeming somewhat deeper.  The guitars are all over the place, but in a great way- they go from soft, quiet pieces to melodic leads and interludes to extremely heavy, crushing riffs and verse pieces.  The guitars are the accent of the moody tempo- they are the center stage of the music, so to speak.  It is the drums that set the background tone, where even the slowest beat can be the most powerful- “The Grim Infinite” is the best example of this menacing background sound.  The bass is both a complimentary instrument to the guitars and an instrument in its own right.  Without the punishing bass lines, the drums would not be so… beautifully hopeless and depressing.  Holy fuck, is this record heavy and heinous, dark and depressing.  Imagine what it’s like to be run over by a tank.

I feel as though this record puts me in a state of mind I need to be in- crawling along slowly, barely holding onto life, and weighed down by burden, yet despite that, movement never ceases, never yields, never capitulates.  While the first record may be more indicative of the manic moments and brief flashes of insanity I suffer, this record is the rest of life, the endless scaling of a mountain cliff, climbing with the fear of heights fully ablaze in one’s mind.

This is not a fast record by any means, but there is just as much energy to be found here as in any lightning speed punk record.  This is well worth jamming more than a few times.  “No Cemeteries Here”, “The Grim Infinite”, and “Power Fades” are the three best tracks on the record, though not greatly more so than the others.  It’s almost obligatory to listen to this front to back, and not as individual songs- it’s better that way anyway.

-Aunty Social

Embrace the Kill/ Hellmouth/ In Defence/ Opposition Rising 4 way split 7" review

Embrace the Kill/ Hellmouth/ In Defence/ Opposition Rising 4-way split 7” review

I want to like this record; I really, really do.  Four stellar bands on the same piece of wax and some artwork by Alex Awn is a recipe that sounds like it will churn out a tasty recipe of a record.  However, the result, while not bad, by any means, is a bit underwhelming. It starts off well enough, with Embrace the Kill’s track “Blacklisted” pushing its way along, delivering a heavy, hard, hopeless and bleak black metal-influenced crust tune.  The song rules, and Embrace the Kill further solidifies itself as a killer west coast crust band (among who include Tragedy, From Ashes Rise, Asymmetric Warfare, Short Changed, and loads more).  Next is Hellmouth’s “Amen Assholes”, a favorite song by a notably popular Detroit group that most in the area familiar with.  However, this song was apparently an earlier tracking of the song, and with it is a lesser level of quality.  Nothing is wrong with the song, but the levels, the mix, the sound quality… something is just not right.
Following this is the In Defence track “United Farces”, again earlier tracking of a song that would later be renamed and slightly reworked to “Corporate Bailout”.  This one suffers from the same problems as the Hellmouth track, although I liked this track of Ben Crew’s vocals better than the one used on “Corporate Bailout”.  The saving grace of this record would come in the Opposition Rising track “F.T.W.”, an oft-used acronym for a feeling that resonates in many of us.  Before deviating this into another populist misanthropic rant, I’ll return to the record:  Opposition Rising puts out probably the best track of theirs on this split (best compared to the rest of the songs on their Aftermathematics LP, which too rules).  Formed from the intact remains of Mouth Sewn Shut, the band is essentially the next chapter in the Toxic Narcotic saga.  While Mouth Sewn Shut (and Opposition Rising as well, for that matter) is known mostly for their blends of crust, hardcore, and reggae, this track is more of a hardcore track, but still retains the traditional M.S.S./ O.R. aura.

Even though I was not wowed by the two earlier tracking of these later-to-be excellent songs, there were okay, and the stellar tracks by Embrace the Kill and Opposition Rising makes this album worthwhile.

-Aunty Social