All I can say is that this is easily one of the best albums of the year.
Anodyne - Lifetime of Gray Skies
DIGITAL METAL REVIEW
Anodyne
Lifetime of Gray Skies
(Level Plane Records)
I cant tell you much about this veteran Boston acts, other than fans of the current Mastodon/Burnt By The Sun (Dave Witte was a one time member)/Keelhaul/Swarm of The Lotus, post hardcore, noise movement need this. Harsh, stuttering and abrasive, this is a percussion based beehive of blisteringly discordant yet precise noise. Highlighted by drummer Joel Stallings, who equals Brann Dailor of Mastodon for insane fills and continual rolls, Anodyne easily elbows their way into the genres big boy's line up despite their small label status. Guitarist/vocalist Mike Hill roars with a usual hulking scream and a gritty guitar tone serves as Stallings backdrop with a sludgy palate of jagged histrionics and occasional ambient experimentation. Only bassist Josha Naylor seems slightly left out, but that may be due to the pure force and caustic weight of the drums and guitars. The same kind of complexity as the aforementioned bands is rendered by this three-piece but with a dirtier, grimier edge similar to Rwake, as the polish has been rubbed raw by a belt sander and then played through a broken amp. Dont look for any hint of melodramatic eye rolling harmony here, as this is all simply jarring noise played with sonic scar tissue and minimal tolerance for niceties. From abrupt opener Arctor right until the last fading notes of Standing on the Beach wane from the speakers, Gray Skies is a vast landscape of sonic wreckage devoid of light. Individual tracks are hard to pinpoint amid the 33 minutes bursts of obtuse noise and ambient pieces as they all blend together into one seething mass of looping, percussive hostility. However, the 6 minute instrumental Blood Meridian does stand as somewhat of a respite from the crazed assault. The Mind is a Terrible Thing actually shocks with its vicious brevity, no mean feat when you consider the rest of the albums rapid fire surges of anger. In the Desert Sound Precedes Sight actually builds somewhat to allow the listener to brace for the impending assault. As with many of these kinds of albums, my musical prowess is lost on recounting actual musical terminology to describe the feats that mainly Stallings delivers, but needless to say, Anodyne are simply a whirlwind of violent acidic noise. The result of listening to this album is twofold; it can make you edgy and nervous, causing a palatable tension and feeling of wracked nerves. Then it can open awareness to deep quarters of your mind, long slumbering in the vestiges of predictable, paint by numbers music. Anodyne will shock them into life with each bristling note. The rest of you can get silly over the impending Leviathan and its possible commercial leanings, but personally, the coppery taste in my mouth of a single Anodyne listening session is preferable at this point.
[Erik Thomas]
Anodyne - Lifetime of Gray Skies
DIGITAL METAL REVIEW
Anodyne
(Level Plane Records)
I cant tell you much about this veteran Boston acts, other than fans of the current Mastodon/Burnt By The Sun (Dave Witte was a one time member)/Keelhaul/Swarm of The Lotus, post hardcore, noise movement need this. Harsh, stuttering and abrasive, this is a percussion based beehive of blisteringly discordant yet precise noise. Highlighted by drummer Joel Stallings, who equals Brann Dailor of Mastodon for insane fills and continual rolls, Anodyne easily elbows their way into the genres big boy's line up despite their small label status. Guitarist/vocalist Mike Hill roars with a usual hulking scream and a gritty guitar tone serves as Stallings backdrop with a sludgy palate of jagged histrionics and occasional ambient experimentation. Only bassist Josha Naylor seems slightly left out, but that may be due to the pure force and caustic weight of the drums and guitars. The same kind of complexity as the aforementioned bands is rendered by this three-piece but with a dirtier, grimier edge similar to Rwake, as the polish has been rubbed raw by a belt sander and then played through a broken amp. Dont look for any hint of melodramatic eye rolling harmony here, as this is all simply jarring noise played with sonic scar tissue and minimal tolerance for niceties. From abrupt opener Arctor right until the last fading notes of Standing on the Beach wane from the speakers, Gray Skies is a vast landscape of sonic wreckage devoid of light. Individual tracks are hard to pinpoint amid the 33 minutes bursts of obtuse noise and ambient pieces as they all blend together into one seething mass of looping, percussive hostility. However, the 6 minute instrumental Blood Meridian does stand as somewhat of a respite from the crazed assault. The Mind is a Terrible Thing actually shocks with its vicious brevity, no mean feat when you consider the rest of the albums rapid fire surges of anger. In the Desert Sound Precedes Sight actually builds somewhat to allow the listener to brace for the impending assault. As with many of these kinds of albums, my musical prowess is lost on recounting actual musical terminology to describe the feats that mainly Stallings delivers, but needless to say, Anodyne are simply a whirlwind of violent acidic noise. The result of listening to this album is twofold; it can make you edgy and nervous, causing a palatable tension and feeling of wracked nerves. Then it can open awareness to deep quarters of your mind, long slumbering in the vestiges of predictable, paint by numbers music. Anodyne will shock them into life with each bristling note. The rest of you can get silly over the impending Leviathan and its possible commercial leanings, but personally, the coppery taste in my mouth of a single Anodyne listening session is preferable at this point.
[Erik Thomas]
