Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 16/04/2016
Label: ConSouling Sounds
Noisy,
experimental and not without its moments of bristling intensity, “I Ate Myself
…” is a record that piques interest
with seven chaotic, constantly shifting tracks bursting with a myriad of
influences, underpinned by a borderline disregard for the safe confines of
genre.
“I Ate Myself to Grow Twice As Big”
CD//DD//LP track listing
1). Melæna
2). Coproliet
3). Coccinelle
4). Monuntainesque II
5). Apollo 10
6). Mountainesque I
7). Juice
The Review
Belgian
noisesmiths 30,000
Monkies return with their second studio album ‘I Ate Myself To Grow Twice As Big’, seven chaotic, constantly
shifting tracks bursting with a myriad of influences, underpinned by a
borderline disregard for the safe confines of genre.
‘Melæna’ kicks in with hoarse,
anguished vocals set in amongst cycling, fuzzed out riffing. It all seems far
off, echoing, but the drums usher in a main riff composed of heavy tom work and
whining, jarring chords. Muscular, overdriven bass raises its head, and the track
alternates between these two patterns before dropping into a hardcore infused
run that’s shaken up with heavy, frantic kick work and maddening guitar lines.
It’s chaotic, a tad sloppy, but wonderfully organic.
‘Coproliet’ is a tumbling rush of density
and urgency, military snare building then stopping suddenly, bright, fragile,
strummed chords replacing it before being replaced in turn with a mass of
groaning, feedback laden guitars. ‘Coccinelle’ is a roiling lump of sub-doom guitars and unsettling high-pitched
vocals, chords growing in strength, well-spaced and threatening. The atonal
chants build by layers, and it grows into a more upbeat affair, picking up
pace, locked in tight, exhausting itself before lapsing into meditative noise.
‘Mountainesque II’ drives
from the get go, enraged well-bottom shouts and thumping drums powering through
a thicket of tremolo guitars and whining feedback, bleak and paranoid, the
crescendo of a track stretched far beyond normal limits. ‘Apollo 10’ swells with
‘radio’ noise, coming in waves, spreading unease, punctured by haunting shouts,
before wild, scraping guitars and clattering drums throw things for a loop,
before things break apart with whining noise and echoing, overlapping vox
loops.
‘Mountainesque I’ is like a man railing against being trapped in an
80’s film score, reverb drenched shouts fighting against rushing synth layers,
drums and guitar occasionally raising their heads to belt out grinding chords.
Closer ‘Juice’ kicks in with
dreamy synth and slow, pounding drums. Strident, barked vocals come in, along
with big, ringing chords, before everything falls down a spiralling rabbit hole
of grinding guitars, descending drums and sweeping synths. It’s intense,
dramatic, and bleak stuff, which is offset by the tracks’ zenith – layers of
bright, ghostly synths that evoke the slightly unsettling climax of a
psychedelic space opera.
Noisy,
experimental and not without its moments of bristling intensity, “I Ate Myself …” is a record that piques interest with its cleverly constructed
tracks. But, the self-same tracks struggle to find true individual identity, to
stand apart from one another fully, which isn’t helped by a recording that
lacks overall dynamic impact, seeing everything played safely towards an aural middle
ground. A solid enough release, it sadly won’t leave a lasting impression on
all but the most ardent noise fan.
