Mistress - In Disgust We Trust
Earache Records - MOSH293CD - 2005
By Philip Whitehouse
Regular readers of my reviews (if there are any) will know that I'm something of a fan of Mistress. I gave their debut album my 'Album Of The Month' recommendation (back when UM still did that sort of thing), and spooged just as much over the follow-up The Chronovisor. Well, the 'difficult' third album has arrived, and it seems like no-one has told this quintet of Birmingham-based aggro-sludge-grind merchants that this is supposedly 'make or break' time, because once again Mistress have produced an album that effectively works as a big 'fuck you' to anyone and everyone in their path.
Not that they've turned into some sort of cabaret act, or anything - no, tracks like 'Happily Ever Disaster' and 'Alcohole' still display the schizophrenic blurring of hyperspeed grind and Iron Monkey-soaked sludge that has become Mistress's stock-in-trade - but it's the other things that turn up on the album that continually show that Mistress defy classification. Like the opening title track, a mid-tempo, bruisingly anthemic metal track that manages to sound simultaneously filthy and angry as fuck whilst also being the most accessible track Mistress have ever penned. Or the uber-slow-burning lead-out instrumental, 'Shovel'. Or the high-pitched, nigh-on viking vocals that show up occasionally.
Sonically bolstered by drummer Migg's production (this album was recorded at his own Necrodeath Studios, and stands as his most accomplished, punchy and menacing mix yet), the ten tracks that make up In Disgust We Trust are Mistress's finest body of work to date. Aggressive, pummelling, inventive, and essential.
9.5/10
Official Mistress Website
Official Earache Records Website
Earache Records - MOSH293CD - 2005
By Philip Whitehouse
Regular readers of my reviews (if there are any) will know that I'm something of a fan of Mistress. I gave their debut album my 'Album Of The Month' recommendation (back when UM still did that sort of thing), and spooged just as much over the follow-up The Chronovisor. Well, the 'difficult' third album has arrived, and it seems like no-one has told this quintet of Birmingham-based aggro-sludge-grind merchants that this is supposedly 'make or break' time, because once again Mistress have produced an album that effectively works as a big 'fuck you' to anyone and everyone in their path.
Not that they've turned into some sort of cabaret act, or anything - no, tracks like 'Happily Ever Disaster' and 'Alcohole' still display the schizophrenic blurring of hyperspeed grind and Iron Monkey-soaked sludge that has become Mistress's stock-in-trade - but it's the other things that turn up on the album that continually show that Mistress defy classification. Like the opening title track, a mid-tempo, bruisingly anthemic metal track that manages to sound simultaneously filthy and angry as fuck whilst also being the most accessible track Mistress have ever penned. Or the uber-slow-burning lead-out instrumental, 'Shovel'. Or the high-pitched, nigh-on viking vocals that show up occasionally.
Sonically bolstered by drummer Migg's production (this album was recorded at his own Necrodeath Studios, and stands as his most accomplished, punchy and menacing mix yet), the ten tracks that make up In Disgust We Trust are Mistress's finest body of work to date. Aggressive, pummelling, inventive, and essential.
9.5/10
Official Mistress Website
Official Earache Records Website
