By:
Ernesto Aguilar
Album Type: Full length
Date Released: 02/10/2017
Label: Independent
A
few listens through "Screen"
and you're certain to hear a truly unique voice at work.
“Screen” CD//DD track listing
1.
Screen
2.
New Day
3.
Dinosaur
4.
I Didn't Kill Myself
5.
Getting in the Way
6.
Coyote
7.
Choke the Falcon
8.
Clinical Perfection
9.
Gunslinger
The Review:
With
more than 10 years in, San Francisco's heavy music trio Disastroid
have seemingly outlasted their share of other acts. Over that decade, the group
has built a strong following in the Bay Area through its many live shows and
steady output. Now back for the first time since a seven-inch of post-punk
tracks last January, the team has something to prove.
Longevity
is a weird thing. Performers can either get better as they age or their
material can sound stale and uninspired without challenges. Disastroid's 2014 release, "Missiles," received positive press for a formula it
continues on "Screen." Given
the buzz the band has gotten during their tenure for its music, one has to ask
if the new stuff can meet the high bar the group has previously set.
A
lot gets made of Disastroid's seemingly undefinable
sound. It's really not that difficult, frankly. The band does a version of hard
rock that is influenced by heavier genres, such as post-punk, doom and hardcore.
You may have heard this kind of hybrid more and more over the last couple of
years, in part because it is listenable and gives musicians a lot of space to
explore their own inspirations and concepts. On "Missiles," Disastroid happened to
rise above the din of performers plying their trade here through sheer
chemistry and creativity. Yet as more bands gravitate to this corner of music,
standing out can only get more contentious. With that come issues of simply making
better music too.
On
a positive note, the California crew's new release, its fourth full length,
continues its own musical tradition in grand style.
The
title track kicks off this recording, and it is a superb example of why Disastroid's blend of melodic music is so disarming. The
composition is particularly great, with the guitars and Travis Williams' bass
complementing Braden McGaw's drums. Production on vocals is excellent; it is
just enough to make it distinct, but muddy enough to keep it from mainstream
rock. You get more of that post-punk vein with "New Day" and "I
Didn't Kill Myself" – they're the subsequent cuts and demonstrate
aptly Disastroid's commitment to its craft as well
as creating an album poised to evolve the group's long-honed sound.
Sometimes
the aforementioned heavier styles get more prominent on "Screen" – catch the doom soaked "Dinosaur" for example – but Disastroid
is fundamentally a band anchored to hard rock. One might expect it sounds more
interesting to portray unclassifiability than a style a few might find passé,
but really Disastroid is one of the best independent
bands out there doing what they do. And it is flourishes like "Getting in the Way," which
does post-punk and hard rock stunningly well, that show you how talented Disastroid is at creating a bigger, bolder soundscape than
three players might otherwise seem to offer.
"Screen"
has many memorable forays. The syncopated rhythms and original arrangement of "Gunslinger" give it a
classic feel. Even the briefest cut, "Clinical
Perfection," with its dense drum and bass foundation, packs tremendous
power. "Coyote" feels like
zenith on "Screen." As one
of the longer songs situated toward the middle of the album, its stoner-infused
guitar chord progressions and building bassline set an introspective mood. Here
and throughout, guitarist/vocalist Enver Koneya gets a nod for singing that's
actual singing. Koneya can set the tone with his lyrical delivery, and does it
with aplomb. A few listens through "Screen"
and you're certain to hear a truly unique voice at work.
"Screen" is
available here
