Search - Pillory :: No Lifeguard at the Gene Pool

Extreme in every sense

phobos | Berkeley, CA United States | 12/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album mixes the most extreme and unstable elements of hardcore, grind, and death metal. There is plenty of jazz influence in there, too. The music is very technical and complex, but also extremely heavy, with vocals that occasionally sound like some kind of enraged and deformed farmyard animal, making the term "pig vocals" more relevant that ever before. It's also very experimental, and approaches the weirdness of Gorguts' "Obscura" at times (it is one of the few albums I've found that dares to follow in the footsteps of this masterpiece). As another reviewer mentioned, good production is crucial to this kind of music, and on this album, the clear but filthy guitar tone gives all kinds of depth to the music. The bass is also very well produced, and is probably my favorite element in the mix-- it often follows its own path, adding yet another dimension to the discordant chaos. The drums are also very choatic and very creative. The sound in general is very thick and deep, with lots of color and diversity. Great, great stuff. I have to be in the right mood to listen to this, but when I am, nothing else will do. Will appeal to anyone who likes their metal extreme and diverse."