DOWNLOAD the 12-inch split between Morbosidad and Pseudogod HERE
Morbosidad and Pseudogod make decent bedfellows, but in my mind the latter clearly trump the former, leaving Morbosidad sounding like they’re trying too hard, trying too much or trying too hard to not try.
Neither band quite hit that SPOT. Not enough subtlety, not extreme enough — though most will feel ear-raped — not cloudy enough. Still, Pseudogod make a good go of it by steadily plugging away with linear, tight blast beats, hectic riffs and simple, economic speed-drumming. The vocals are tolerable, albeit not spectacular, stuck in between the buttcheeks of the crooner from Morgoth and the resulting leakage shat out by whomever manned the vox for Pungent Stench. I prefer something throatier, more along the lines of a scream than the bloody call of a dying wolf. This guy still trumps most of the old yellers out there, and best of all it’s impossible to understand a word he’s saying. Ambiguity is good!
I hate to put Morbosidad down — great band name — but after finding some decent older material floating around I was disappointed to find their moniker attached to this second-rate LP side. First and foremost, of course, I hear Brujeria. Not the good Brujeria though — the BAD Brujeria that ended up soiling the legacy of the untouchable side venture of members of Faith No More and Fear Factory. Yeah, shitty.
Their intensity is palpable, which I appreciate, I just wish the vocals weren’t so focal. They’re smeared overtop everything like the discharge of a rotting anal fissure, and it renders the drums/guitars/bass meaningless. It’s like this dude has his tongue in my ear while I’m trying to dig a metal band. Not only that but I don’t know what the fuck he’s saying. In this case it’s not because it’s metal (the vocals are so loud it’s impossible not to catch a syllable or two), it’s because they’re in Spanish.
Whatever; this is why I avoid 85 percent of the metal out there. While I’m consistently surprised by the new discoveries being made by certain upstarts, I’m also regularly disgusted by the legions of so-so groups angling for that fleeting chance to participate in tour that nets $43 and/or an album that sells 13 copies. It’s like hey, if you’re playing metal there’s a nine-in-10 chance you’re doing it incorrectly, so if that is your trade you best take a long look at your tattoo-cloaked face in the dive-bar mirror and decide whether you’re good enough to slice it. If you’re not, back away and let the professionals handle it.
I’m still getting over the holiday letdown/hangover/reality check so I’m not quite feeling myself tonight. Could that be why I panned Morbosidad? Maybe. But probably not.
Check out reviews on LPs/tapes wide and small this week, including material on the Handmade Birds label, a M. Geddes Gengras tape on Full of Nothing that I can’t keep my grubby paws off and (probably) another Colour Bük release.
