Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Red Fang- Whales and Leeches

I'm sure you've read a review or two of this already. I'm not so full of myself that I think I'll have some big new revelation for you, or that I understand Red Fang somehow more. I just want to point out a couple of things about what they're doing that I like.
First, they have tightened up to an unreal degree- several songs on here have near prog-rock time signatures but you'd have to be a freak like me to notice because they're such an efficient machine. For guys noted mostly for beer and laughs,  this is like technical death metal. Even then, one thing I never liked about Metal is how often the song gets "broken" so that somebody can solo. Awkward key changes, sudden tempo shifts, and so on that just take me right out of enjoying the song as a listener, and suddenly I'm back at school learning scales. Well, there's none of that here- all the changes seem organic, and logical for the song.
Second, topics include vampires, despair, cannibalism, and family vacations- what, exactly could be heavier?
Third, and last- I'm blown away by just how solid this record is- I find myself listening to it straight through, sitting in my car for the two bonus songs, late for work, but trying to hear the whole thing, again.
So, yes, if you like tight, solid, heavy rock, you need this record. As for any more review, hell, the band do it best....

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