|
Flagpole Magazine reviews: Rat Babies
"This is the heaviest Rat Babies have ever sounded. This EP has three long (7:08, 8:39 and 12:54 minutes) tracks that ostensibly cover subjects such as depression and addiction. On its surface, though, you never know, because the vocals are largely guttural screams that are unintelligible. What they lack in clarity, however, they deliver in mood and emotion. Rat Babies, now a three-piece again, opens the record with "Smokers Cough" and doesn't so much pummel as weave through guitar and bass lines that begin with a low howl, shift into sludgy mid-tempo metal and then fade out with digital noise. The record ends with “"Beautiful," which, at almost 13 minutes, is a bit too long, considering the final three minutes feel kind of tacked on and unnecessary. The first five minutes of the track are snails-pace slow with hushed vocals and minimal music that lead into a somewhat hypnotic back-and-forth bass line augmented by background noise and layered fuzz guitar. The best thing here is the second track, "Medicine," which is also the most easily accessible and straightforward. On this track Rat Babies sound complete, and the song feels composed as opposed to jammed-upon. It's this completeness that reveals the band's potential strength. There's a lot of worthwhile, creative stuff going on guitar-wise on the whole EP that can only be heard via headphones, and it takes multiple listens to pick everything out. Rat Babies are currently operating in what is best (or, at least, traditionally) referred to as dirge-stoner-metal. Fans of such will note that it's incredibly rare to find a band with a truly distinctive sound in that genre. Rat Babies have the dedication to do so, and this EP puts them one step closer." - Gordon Lamb Link: http://flagpole.com/Weekly/RecRev/RatBabies-12May10 |