Don't Test the Pest

Metalheads who have crossed the threshold of time into their 30's (like me) owe it to themselves to stay in touch with the kids. Like it or not, rock n' roll creation is the domain of youth; Maiden, Metallica, Priest, and nearly all who "innovated" and created the archetypes and milestones of this music we've dedicated our lives to were all, basically, kids when they wrote their most lasting music. This is why it is so pathetic to listen to older (usually fatter) metalheads complain about kids "not getting it". The kids get it. They always get it; they're the ones making it.

I can think of no more "youthful" permutation of metal than crossover, and Pest Control deliver crossover thrash at its most youthful - excited, angsty, energetic, and pissed. "Don't Test the Pest" is a kick-ass debut, as indebted to DRI and Nuclear Assault as it is to Integrity and Hatebreed. It begins with a slow burning twin guitar lead, dramatic metal all-the-way, and segues into twenty minutes, not a second wasted, of athletic, moshable intensity.

"What the fuck did I do last night? // I can't take it, I'm buggin' out!"
(from "Buggin' Out)

Now THAT is an anthemic chorus for the sweaty kids in the packed club to raise their fists and shout. That is the stuff Pest Control is all about on "Don't Test the Pest". Hardly trying the change the whole world, the Pests are more likely to gripe about being confused in their own little worlds. Songs here tackle fake people, peer judgment, betrayal by adults, body horror, and, well, bugging out!

I want to say that Pest Control's brand of crossover leans more in favor of the metal influences; the riffs are beefy and not-so-simple, the drums are deep with a sense of galloping, and there are rich solos, (just check out the string-burning in "Struck Down") But the terseness to these songs (most are under two minutes long), combined with the quick barking of vocalist Leah, glaze the whole operation with a veneer of punk irreverence. Leah's confidence and energy are really admirable. I've never seen how this band presents themself live, but my mind's eye can easily picture her owning a stage, inspiring circle pits and slam dancing while mean mugging the squares. Her bark is punctuated and discernible so that while it retains its ferocity, the audience can still sing along.

It is interesting to consider what "crossover" means in 2023. Crossover, every geek reading this already knows, is the nexus of thrash metal and hardcore punk; two genres that were never that far apart to begin with in the 80's heyday, especially post-"Reign In Blood". But these days, a crossover band is inspired by the hardcore bands who were inspired by crossover in the first place (does that make sense?). Bands like Hatebreed, Strife, Integrity, and Ringworm were among the first cohort of bands to be tagged with that to-become-unfortunate title of "metalcore". But before metalcore became all about generic breakdowns, watered-down Gothenburg melodies, and lame emo clean singing, it was basically just hardcore punk taken to its most intense and metallic conclusion. It was like thrash but with all the riffs cut in half and vocalists who threw melody out the window...almost like...crossover?!?!

So here we have Pest Control, the perfect crossover band for this modern age. All the thrashy and metallic refinement intermixed with meaty, to-the-point hardcore. It's just that hardcore, this side of 1999, is so metallic in the first-place, that sometimes we take for granted the punky elements that matter. The youthful exuberance exhibited on "Don't Test the Pest" is what matters with Pest Control. Most important in this listening experience is the attitude and the energy - this is crossover that makes you move. And if you can't get up and slam, pogo, and bug out to it, you're probably too damn old. Go buy a used Eric Clapton CD and fuck off.