Bucking the general trend for a band's professional progression, Complete Failure dropped from Steve Austin's SuperNova Records roster and has gone entirely independent. Heal No Evil is self-recorded, self-released, self-promoted -- the whole deal. So does that mean we're going to be blessed with a noisy basement recording in the name of DIY ethics No, not even close. Unlike last year's Perversions of Guilt, this record isn't burdened with a thick layer of mud for productions. In fact, it sounds pretty damn ballsy.
But that's not to say that Perversions of Guilt was a weak record; anyone who invested enough effort in getting past the production quality was rewarded with a slick combination of crusty grind and sparse dirges. On Heal No Evil, the songwriting blend is a bit smoother -- most tracks hit an enjoyable middle ground between Nasum's grind and His Hero Is Gone's crusty hardcore -- and with the help of a far more accessible production job, the riffs pack a far larger punch, the drumming achieves a crisp, precise presence, and the bass lines actually sound like they consistently exist.
Opener "Like Rainbows in Gasoline" borrows a page from Cursed's now retired handbook, sounding quite similar to III's "Night Terrors." I'll chock that one up as a positive, as duplicating the Canadian foursome's intensity and grit is easier said than done. "Church of the Self / The State of Impure Thoughts" changes things up as it digs into some of the thick guitar chops of Uprising-era Entombed before returning to a grinding d-beat pace. "Impoverished Orgasm Liaison" offers some Breach-like dissonance in its first half and the chugs and anthemic chord progressions of '90s hardcore in its latter half. Variety is the name of the game here, giving the album more dimensions than a flat out grind release.
This record is simply Complete Failure ironing out all of the wrinkles present on Perversions of Guilt. The production is far more fitting and the songwriting is more well-transitioned and inventive. My only complaint is that the slow dirges of Heal No Evil don't sound nearly as dark and haunting as those on the last record. But hey, it would be borderline ridiculous to wish for that extremely muddy sound back. As it stands, Complete Failure's latest is certainly their greatest.
Bottom Line: It's hard not to love the blend of grind, crust, and hardcore presented on Complete Failure's Heal No Evil, as well as their return to the DIY world. I enjoy watching a band progress and refine their sound between releases, and these dudes are a perfect example. Keep it up. |
