STACK #186 Apr 2020

MUSIC REVIEWS

visit stack.com.au

Five Finger Death Punch F8 Five Finger Death Punch (5FDP) have always struck me as smart. Here are a group of veteran musicians who chose to wisely cherry-pick from multiple subgenres – heavy, groove, alternative and nu metal – to create their sound. They then added Pantera’s muscle to give it some punch and repackaged it for a younger generation. Was this a calculated move? Sure, but aren’t most moves calculated? It’s only ever going to be a problem if it was unsuccessful and 5FDP have proved time and time again that the formula paid off. That process is repeated on F8 and their fanbase will love them for it. (Better Noise Music) Simon Lukic

Violent Soho Everything Is A-OK

The ’90s are definitely back. A Facebook group, Sound As Ever, celebrating Australian ’90s indie rock, recently launched and gathered thousands of followers. Those people would dig Brisbane band Violent Soho. Put on their new album – the follow-up to 2016’s chart-topping WACO – and you’re immediately transported back to the decade of flannelette shirts, grunge and Generation X. From slacker pop – “lying on the floor is all I wanna do,” Luke

Boerdam declares – to muscular rock, Violent Soho will have you fondly recalling ’90s classics such as Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Weezer and Urge Overkill. Producer Greg Wales was the perfect choice to helm the band’s fifth album, as he came of age in the ’90s, producing some of that era’s most-loved records by The Fauves, Pollyanna, Even, Snout and Sandpit, as well as an album by Violent Soho’s childhood heroes, Dumpster. Wales helps the band deliver a dynamic rock record. "I don’t want to be a memory,” Boerdam sings. But if you lived the ’90s the first time around, this record is filled with glorious flashbacks. And if not, this collection will create new memories. If you worry about the lack of great young rock bands, check out Violent Soho. Everything Is A-OK . (I OhYou) Jeff Jenkins

Body Count Carnivore

Yves Tumor Heaven To A Tortured Mind Not a lot of information regarding the artist Yves Tumor has been disseminated. What we do know is the shapeshifting musician also goes by the name Sean Bowie, and that much like his previous releases, the fourth official release as Yves Tumor further pushes sonic boundaries in thrilling and truly inventive ways. An artist that defies regular categorisation, the album makes forays into electronic music, experimentalism, minimalism, pop, R&B and even a sprinkling of jazz. As a collection of intriguing musical moments alone, Heaven To A Tortured Mind is a heady cocktail of sounds that makes for an intoxicating listen. (Warp/Inertia) Holly Pereira

You’ve got to hand it to Ice T. He saw an opportunity back in 1990 to pursue his interest in metal and took it. What gave Body Count credibility and allowed them to become more than just a novelty act was their decision to primarily focus on their metal/hardcore/ punk influences and mix it sparingly with Ice’s rap roots. Carnivore is the band’s seventh album and another solid outing. It’s far from a classic or album of the year material, but when all is said and done Carnivore will get heads banging and that’s more than you could ask for. (Century Media) Simon Lukic

RVG Feral

In 2017, RVG emerged as a band so well-formed – so immediately able to lock their fingers around your ribs and draw you in – that a uniquely committed fanbase followed almost overnight. Since their lauded debut A Quality Of Mercy (2017), frontwoman Romy

Vager and her bright post-punk act have toured their tushies off (also securing supporting slots with international heavyweights Pixies and Faith No More), while devotees impatiently tapped their ash waiting to hear new material. The band's second LP Feral effortlessly builds on AQOM’s promise: New Wave flavours lead King Krule-style guitars alongside Vager’s explorations of the tension between spirituality and corporeality ( Christian Neurosurgeon , which features the whine of lobotomical drills), the ache to offer one another emotional balm ( Help Somebody ), and some typically sardonic, relatable disdain (“Let the baby have his bottle/ It’s easier to let you have your way” – Baby Bottle ). Immersive closer Photograph showcases Vager's endlessly magnetic vocals, and will have your head lolling about on your neck as you bathe in its guitars and deep toms. (Our Golden Friend) ZKR

78

APRIL 2020

jbhifi.com.au