Frowst in There Minds

In metal's long history of low-quality, low-quantity bedroom demo tapes, The Zone of Noise's Frowst in There Minds is easily one of the worst pieces of garbage ever magnetized to plastic.

Clocking in at just under 11 minutes total, the tape consists of two halves: Side A contains five "polished" studio recordings, while Side B contains four rehearsal tracks, and neither side is overly appealing. As far as the studio tracks go, whether on purpose or by necessity, the band takes the lo-fi approach to ridiculous extremes. The entire side is layered in audible fuzz, and the only discernible instruments are a distorted guitar, a drum kit that almost exclusively relies on the snare-crash cymbal combo, and an occasional vocalist whose contributions, in all seriousness, can only be likened to the grunts of a confused ape. Musically, while there are flashes of punk-influenced melodies and some occasionally tight guitar work (most notably in "Ipsacja" and "Cut Embryo"), the majority of the album consists of garbled death metal chords and hardcore punk breakdowns, with very little to distinguish the tracks from one another.

As for Side B, the rehearsal tracks are somehow worse than the studio tracks, with twice the amount of fuzz, and precisely no redeeming qualities to speak of. A crash cymbal, the muffled grunts of the vocalist, and the low-end of the guitar are the only identifiable sounds escaping from the wall of noise presented on these four tracks. The recording of these tracks sound like someone set up a handheld tape recorder in the room next door to the band's practice space, and hit record. There is no enjoyment to be had from hearing these rehearsal jams, leaving these tracks as little more than album filler.

On the off chance you come across a physical copy of this tape, or if you happen to click your way to a .rar download hosted on someone's WordPress, just turn around and walk away. The fleeting kernels of talent hidden among this audio turd are not worth your time.