Wednesday 27 February 2019

ALBUM REVIEW: The Air Turned To Acid, "Black Zen Instruction"


By: Chris Bull

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 20/12/2018
Label: Independent



'Black Zen Instruction' is a superlative of sorts, used to describe the unearthly, off kilter song structures and relentless brutality this band bring to the table.




“Black Zen Instruction” DD track listing:

1). 4 Combined
2). Hounds
3). Pinstripe Grey with Party Welts
4). Anketell Brewer
5). It’s A Long Walk to Coney Island
6). Gutterpunk
7). The Tent Murders


The Review:



I'll admit it; I absolutely love The Air Turned To Acid. As human beings, they rank highly as some of the most genuine and friendly I've met. As musicians, they're phenomenally talented and oozing with the kind of creativity that most bands can only dream of, churning out riffs that will have guitarists saying 'why didn't I think of that?'

'Black Zen Instruction' is a superlative of sorts, used to describe the unearthly, off kilter song structures and relentless brutality TATTA bring to the table. For a debut album and their 2nd proper release after the 2015 split with Tides Of Sulfur (my band, coincidentally), this is stomach churningly good. The tempo switches on 'Hounds' and the ferocity of 'Pinstripe Grey With Party Welts' makes it hard to comprehend how TATTA, a band that rehearse only a handful of times a year, can sound so cohesive and focussed. Vocalist Rich Repper brings a Eugene Robinson like unpredictability, most notably to tracks like 'Anketell Brewer' and 'Gutterpunk', howling, growling, screaming and barking like a man possessed while knowing when to let the guitar work of Will Saunders and Leo Stuart shine through with their mathematical view of sludge riffs and jarring disharmonies a key component of their sound. Just listen to 'The Tent Murders' and you'll understand why this band is deserving of the phrase "criminally underrated".

The Air Turned To Acid are a band who are often overlooked and underappreciated in today's metal world. By no means is this a slight on them, they out play and outperform many of their peers and offer something truly different in heavy music, something that is sorely lacking. Do yourselves a favour; listen to this right fucking now!



“Black Zen Instruction” is available HERE




Band info: bandcamp || facebook