December - Praying, Hoping, Nothing.
2003 - Earache Records
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Earache website.
Before a Devin Townsend production and the patronage of a certain Matt Zane propelled December into the limelight and gave them something of a cult status on the extreme circuit, they recorded their debut album on their own Negative Approach label. Now, that debut has been re-issued by Earache and packaged with three cover songs and a 'Hidden Track'. The covers (Skunk Anansie's 'Selling Jesus', Death Angel's 'Seemingly Endless Time' and Motorhead's 'Ace Of Spade's) are pretty much just so much filler, and the Hidden Track consists mainly of a recorded argument and a bunch of screaming followed by a demo quality, brief song. So, onto the important stuff - the album proper.
Fuse The Dillinger Escape Plan to Meshuggah and force the resulting creature to battle with members of Bleeding Through, and record the resultant noise. That would be comparable to the dizzyingly complex, brutal noise on offer here. The only let-up in pace and feel on the album is within 'Proximity', where you get a couple of seconds of bare guitar strummings before being pummelled over the head with more polyrhythmic beats and spiralling, interweaving riffage.
The production is somewhat threadbare (the vocals in particular sounding like they're being delivered through a pillow), but I still somehow prefer it to Devin Townsend's production on the follow-up (where the vocals sounded like they were being delivered through a train station's PA speaker). However, the intensity and complexity of the release is undeniable, although the songs lack the hookier elements of tracks such as 'Icenine' from follow-up 'The Lament Configuration'.
Despite this, however, 'Praying, Hoping, Nothing' is still a worthy purchase for anyone interested in what December were doing before the rest of the world caught on.
8/10
2003 - Earache Records
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Earache website.
Before a Devin Townsend production and the patronage of a certain Matt Zane propelled December into the limelight and gave them something of a cult status on the extreme circuit, they recorded their debut album on their own Negative Approach label. Now, that debut has been re-issued by Earache and packaged with three cover songs and a 'Hidden Track'. The covers (Skunk Anansie's 'Selling Jesus', Death Angel's 'Seemingly Endless Time' and Motorhead's 'Ace Of Spade's) are pretty much just so much filler, and the Hidden Track consists mainly of a recorded argument and a bunch of screaming followed by a demo quality, brief song. So, onto the important stuff - the album proper.
Fuse The Dillinger Escape Plan to Meshuggah and force the resulting creature to battle with members of Bleeding Through, and record the resultant noise. That would be comparable to the dizzyingly complex, brutal noise on offer here. The only let-up in pace and feel on the album is within 'Proximity', where you get a couple of seconds of bare guitar strummings before being pummelled over the head with more polyrhythmic beats and spiralling, interweaving riffage.
The production is somewhat threadbare (the vocals in particular sounding like they're being delivered through a pillow), but I still somehow prefer it to Devin Townsend's production on the follow-up (where the vocals sounded like they were being delivered through a train station's PA speaker). However, the intensity and complexity of the release is undeniable, although the songs lack the hookier elements of tracks such as 'Icenine' from follow-up 'The Lament Configuration'.
Despite this, however, 'Praying, Hoping, Nothing' is still a worthy purchase for anyone interested in what December were doing before the rest of the world caught on.
8/10
