Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee comes the absurdist, extremely talented, and to quote from their Bandcamp page, ‘read to destroy whatever preconceptions you may have had for the night’. They were not only able to destroy the preconceptions I’ve had of the band, but they were able to do so in a way that made me go back, pick up the pieces and destroy them again because these guys blew it out of the water. If you’re the type of person who just has to label a band and give them some sorta genre title, ‘punk’ would be the loosest thing I’d be able to give them. But don’t expect your typical d-beat and shouted vocals. These guys fuse so much together to create such a unique sound that is really theirs.
The album has an almost Meat Puppets vibe to the whole thing thanks in part to the twangy southern guitars that greet you in the opening track but soon morphs into a fast paced and wickedly loud punk rock track that’ll knock the wind out of you if you weren’t paying attention. But there’s more to it than just southern music and punk fusing. Musically, I don’t think there’s one down side of the album. Each member brings it their all and really pour themselves into the music. The guitars are angry, punchy, and really in your face. The drums aren’t just there to be there, but have some rather creative moments and you can really tell they were having fun making this whole album. The vocals and the bass are some of my favorite bits of the album. The hefty and rumbling bass lines really gives the music its weight, if they didn’t make the bass as prominent as it is in the album, I don’t think the music would have the same sorta impact as it does. The vocals are another piece that I just love. Very punky, almost sing-songy at times. But still full of rage and almost a sense of nihilistic fun mixed in as well. I honestly couldn’t have pictured any other style of vocals over these tracks. I’d be disappointed if they didn’t have this tang of angst and tongue and cheek.
The song writing is extremely creative. Not one song sounds alike, but yet they all still sound very coherent with one another and keep a sort of musical theme going on all through out. There are some rather slower tracks, where the guitars really let go and stretch its legs and are able to really present its self in all of its glory. To the more fast paced punk tracks that just hit you over the head over and over again til you submit. The album all through out really keeps you on your toes, not sure what to expect next. A great example of this is the seventh track Planet of Exultant Scum. This track is the longest on the album going on for about six and a half minutes, but it really shows the musical range of these guys. From the more punk and hard hitting bits, to the slower and at times almost jazzy bits that pokes its head up on some of the previous tracks as well. But the transition in between each piece is just flawless and they’re all performed fantastically.
I’ve had loads of fun listening to this album. Another incredibly impactful release so early in the year. Makes me excited to see what else this year has in hold not only for Pi Fire, but for the musical world in general. This might go down as one of my top albums of the year for certain, and for those who don’t mind stepping outside of the metal world, or aren’t so much into metal. Do give this album a try as I think it has a little something for everyone.