Unpersons III
At A Loss Recordings AAL 013B 2003
By Nathan Pearce
At A Loss Recordings has dropped two huge bombs in my lap thus far in 2004. The funny thing is that Ive only received two CDs from the label . . . two for two, I guess. Anyway, the labels latest assault on the extreme music world, Unpersons, is similar to label-mates Swarm of the Lotus in the fact that they are metal, but not strictly limited to that audience, they are loud and punishing, and they are a little difficult to describe in a simple review.
Unpersons basically takes the brutality of bands like Burnt By The Sun and combines it with the noisey, punk attitude of early Converge. As far as Im concerned thats an amazing combination, but that combination still sells the band short. Unpersons slings riffs, guitar solos, drum fills, and screams/moans/groans every which way without losing the focus of each individual song. Most songs are pretty short and to the point, but the band finds time to back off the brutality and lull the listener into a brief, sick, demented slumber, only to be kicked in the skull once the band comes back to life.
If I had to nail down a classification for the band, I guess Id call them noisecore with punk and metal tendencies. Just when you think the band wants to appeal to, say, the Amen crowd, they throw in a guitar solo or lick that fans of Shadows Fall or even Nevermore would actually enjoy.
Unpersons covers a very broad range of muscical extremity. I feel the band will appeal most to fans of noisecore in the vein of early Converge, but I also feel fans of more strict forms of metal will find a place for this bands penitent for big riffs and wicked guitar lines. Unpersons is MUCH more than just another noisecore band, though. With their clever use of acoustic intros, their severely agonized vocalist, and their excellent since of song writing, this band has a very promising future.
9/10
www.atalossrecordings.com
At A Loss Recordings AAL 013B 2003
By Nathan Pearce
At A Loss Recordings has dropped two huge bombs in my lap thus far in 2004. The funny thing is that Ive only received two CDs from the label . . . two for two, I guess. Anyway, the labels latest assault on the extreme music world, Unpersons, is similar to label-mates Swarm of the Lotus in the fact that they are metal, but not strictly limited to that audience, they are loud and punishing, and they are a little difficult to describe in a simple review.
Unpersons basically takes the brutality of bands like Burnt By The Sun and combines it with the noisey, punk attitude of early Converge. As far as Im concerned thats an amazing combination, but that combination still sells the band short. Unpersons slings riffs, guitar solos, drum fills, and screams/moans/groans every which way without losing the focus of each individual song. Most songs are pretty short and to the point, but the band finds time to back off the brutality and lull the listener into a brief, sick, demented slumber, only to be kicked in the skull once the band comes back to life.
If I had to nail down a classification for the band, I guess Id call them noisecore with punk and metal tendencies. Just when you think the band wants to appeal to, say, the Amen crowd, they throw in a guitar solo or lick that fans of Shadows Fall or even Nevermore would actually enjoy.
Unpersons covers a very broad range of muscical extremity. I feel the band will appeal most to fans of noisecore in the vein of early Converge, but I also feel fans of more strict forms of metal will find a place for this bands penitent for big riffs and wicked guitar lines. Unpersons is MUCH more than just another noisecore band, though. With their clever use of acoustic intros, their severely agonized vocalist, and their excellent since of song writing, this band has a very promising future.
9/10
www.atalossrecordings.com
