Where Feelings Die

If you, like me, go into this expecting grindcore/death metal, than you, like me, will be sorely disappointed. This is a very odd album, because there's a lot going on, and also a lot that doesn't make sense at first. This is without a doubt the most confusing album in my collection, and mind you: in that collection are albums like Lou Reed's "Metal Machine Music" and the early Painkiller albums, so that's saying something.

Phew, where to begin with this? First off: I do not understand where the death metal/grindcore tag for these guys comes from, because I really don't hear it. What I do hear is a late 80's crossover/thrash band looking over the limitations of the genre. Perhaps you could compare them (in attitude) to what Dawn Crosby's Fear of God, Primus or Type O Negative on their debut album did, being musicians from a hardcore and/or thrash background trying their hand at new musical territories.

If there's one thing this album has, it's variation, it's hard to pin them down on one style. Each song stands on it's own within the frame of the band's sound, with as unifying element the gruff hardcore punk vocals of Tony Waters. From the sound of it, a general influence seems to be Black Flag in their "My War" era, and on this foundation the band builds up their music. Opener "Stink" sounds like L7 and the aforementioned Black Flag having a business meeting, "Time Stop" combines Ozzy era Black Sabbath with Led Zeppelin-esque guitar effects and a song like "Oubliette" crosses Eyehategod-like feedback drones with Dead Kennedies hardcore. At their thrashier moments, the band has me thinking of Gwar, with the same loose punk infused approach to the music, but the earlier works of a band like Corrosion of Conformity have been an influence as well. The band also had an eye on what was happening in the early 90's alternative scene, there are moments that sound a lot like Babes in Toyland and the weirder works of The Melvins, but an act like Rollins Band also crosses my mind at times. The music is primarily mid tempo to slow, with only sporadically some more up-tempo parts popping up. It's in their sparse faster sections that their roots as a crossover/thrash band come to the surface, the bulk of their material has more of a grunge feel to it. Apparently this whole album has been recorded live and in one day, and that deserves respect, because apart from some very minor slip-ups, playing is beyond tight, and the production is actually very good and heavy, with all instruments discernable.

So why is it that I am not "feeling it" with this album? Perhaps it's the disappointment of expecting a death metal album and getting a grungy pseudo thrash metal album, but it just does not compel me in any way. If you are more into grunge or early 90's alternative music, this could be a good album for you, but for the metalhead into the more extreme end of the genre, this doesn't cut it.

Pompous music reviewers could perhaps argue that this is one of those albums you need to "understand". Personally, I hate music you have to understand, and even if I do not hate this, I'm still not sure what to think of Orgy of Pigs and their sole release.