“I am the guilt of all your wounds.”
Perhaps the most brutal album I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing would be this upcoming meth. album, SHAME. The band put out a handful of EPs before their debut Mother of Red Light in 2019, and now the Chicago natives are back with a new album to blow out our speakers in experimental fashion. Opener “Doubt” is intensely sludgy to start, with vocalist Seb Alvarez delivering brutally dark lyrics. The first 3 minutes or so is the same instrumental pattern before a bit of a crash-centric climax, albeit still keeping the same rhythm and structure. It certainly sets expectations for the intensity, but the one-note nature of the track fails to truly grab my attention.
“Compulsion” is more my speed, as the chaotic side of the band’s song writing comes into focus. The guitar tone is evil, the drums sound like a ritualistic sacrifice, and the vocals match those sounds perfectly. Lyrically, the content matter is very explicit and mature, from how I interpret it. This album is not for the faint of heart to truly delve into, but the maintenance of brutality is consistent throughout the album, which is commendable.
Then we get “Blush” which is another strong cut. I enjoy the thematic consistency and repeated motifs. First, there is the simple repetition of the word “siphon” throughout the track. And there are also lyrics like “mouthfuls of flesh” and “muffled warmth of its vein” which are very much in conversation with the mental image of siphoning. Instrumentally, it lives in the same headspace as a horror movie soundtrack, with a high pitched and haunting backbone to it. The same time that the track gets a djent feel, the vocals also devolve into what sounds like moaning. Then the back third re-sparks the chaotic side of the band with a super intricate interplay between the drums and guitar every stanza. This is just another absolutely brutal track that leaves little room to breathe on that front.
“Give In”, in response, has a pretty mild mannered intro to it. The guitar work is more interested in carrying the listener through the vibey drum pattern instead of taking the attention of the listener via a crushing tone. It has that horror flair still, but tinged with energy rather than panic. The grindy tone returns once the vocals kick in, but still in a more intentionally mannered way. There is even riff work, or, what sounds more like typical riff work, later in the track while the fantastic drumming is maintained. The pacing of “Give In” also works in its favor, as it has more ebbs and flows, which I do prefer over constant brutality. The climax of the track is a huge chaotic breakdown which sounds great, and Seb’s “It’s growing inside” during any of the repeated sections on the song all hit hard.
One of the best tracks must be “Cruelty”, as it is the most varied and technical, yet insanely heavy track. The technicality dances over your ears and the heavy sections are primordial sounding. And despite that, it’s also tied for the shortest on the record. The last verse is even delivered in a black metal-esque fashion and they nail it.
The title track, “Shame”, if nothing else, is the most impressive thematically. Seb’s delivery is via the point of view of “Shame” and he poetically instills the feeling of shame by taking up that mantra. “I am the weight of my hands // I am the knots in your voice.” The vocal delivery here is also of the kind we’ve seen now and then on the record – the more emo-like cadence instead of screaming. The back half of the track is an awesome mix of a new groove not really seen yet, and the staple haunting tones.. It’s both relaxing and intense, and it escalates from there with a beautiful cacophony of noise as the track plays out
Lastly, we get “Blackmail” which ends the album as the longest track. It does a lot of really cool stuff in the beginning, as the guitar tone is a type of twangy heavy that really sounds good. It then progresses in scattered, varied bits of technical, heavy guitar writing. The most surprising moment on all of SHAME is when the instrumental here drops out into a simple strumming pattern, and the whole ensuing section thereafter. It’s well crafted and epic to listen to. This style of songwriting returns during the outro, but a more distorted, twisted version. As a closer, “Blackmail” makes a case for best track on the album, so it more than justifies its position.
meth. is exactly what you’re looking for if you want this type of sound. They don’t back away from fully diving into the darkness of their material, particularly by matching the sounds with the lyrical content. What also sets the band apart is their style of technicality that oozes through a lot of SHAME. And although I wish the album was even more experimental, and had more breathing room for that style, each application of technicality landed more than well. I do think the impressive moments can leave a bit to be desired in the space between them, however. And that is quite a bit of run time. The heaviness can wear you down, as the album is very much focused on putting the listener in that head space. But as a heavy music experience, it is a feat.
7/10
You can pre-order SHAME here before it releases February 2nd, via Prosthetic Records.