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NOLA's favorite bastard sons, the mighty Soilent Green, are back with a vengeance and a new label to boot. Metal Blade Records did themselves proud with this signing, something no doubt made easier by already having signed vocalist Ben Falgoust's other band, Goatwhore. Hmm, could both Eyehategod and Crowbar be next in terms of finding a home at MB? That certainly would complete the cycle as those bands feature SG's Brian Patton (guitar) and Tommy Buckley (drums), respectively, ignorant fanboy. Moving right along, the new album, Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction, speaks to the band's longevity and perseverance coupled with a few very unfortunate years where crashing vans, hurricanes, and plain ol' murder/suicide served to maim and kill members past and present. (Read about it elsewhere, junior.) That the band still sounds great after all these years is in no small part due to the ubiquitous Erik Rutan's killer production.
So what about the music itself? Beautiful brutality, friends. That familiar Southern fried swamp Groove mixed with Grind and all things in between, particularly a heaping helping of Hardcore, just kills. The riffs are all over the place in just one song, never mind across the entire album. Acoustic, blues, and even some brief Country-sounding guitar work paces out ICitPoC's 11 songs. The bass, courtesy of newcomer Scott Crochet, shines through in several places, though only briefly isolated, like on the 'sicko-delic' "Superstition Aimed At One's Skull." The drumming? Buckley absolutely crushes while serving as the glue through the plentiful time changes and genre shifts. Name a style and he can play it. And the vocals? Falgoust's powerful and instantly recognizable throat sound a bit low in the mix this time around and even serve to invoke Lamb of God's Randy Blythe, not that he tries to do so. It's just a sonic reference point. The lyrics are as abrasive as ever, unsurprisingly.
And now a few words about some of the record's many highlights. Album opener "Mental Accupuncture" rambles from a Crowbar-styled groove to a Goatwhore blackened grind, to some Down-sounding groove on speed and that only begins to describe it. "In the Same Breath" has a bluegrass opening lick that veers into a Grind riff, which is followed by more of that signature SG sickness. Halfway through "Antioxidant," the first 'single' off the record, an all too familiar groove appears, but it, too, rules. It is worth noting that "All This Good Intention Wasted In The Wake Of Apathy" is a tribute to original vocalist Glenn Rambo and is comprised of older SG material on which he performed. About their latest opus, Falgoust said "it's the basic idea of no hope." Well, here's hoping the hopeless dig it as much as they should. Soilent Green in 2008 is the sound of a tectonic shift. Massive as ever and still one of the most important bands in the scene, these Southern gentlemen should find a more prominent position courtesy of their new label home. In a word: Mandatory.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Mental Acupuncture |
| 2. Blessed In The Arms Of Servitude |
| 3. In The Same Breath |
| 4. Antioxidant |
| 5. Lovesick |
| 6. Rock Paper Scissors |
| 7. Superstition Aimed At One's Skull |
| 8. For Lack Of Perfect Words |
| 9. When All Roads Lead To Rome |
| 10. All This Good Intention Wasted In The Wake Of Apathy |
| 11. A Pale Horse And The Story Of The End |
: 41:25
| Buy other Soilent Green albums |
