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Tracklist
1. Backslide
2. Release
3. Killing Time
4. Got It Down
5. Make Them Prey
6. Hammered Out
7. D Train
8. Anything
9. Recovery
10. Latch
11. Dead Weight
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Back in the day, Unsane could be lumped in with heavy alternative bands like Helmet in terms of pure musical style. In 2005 however, matters have changed. Today Helmet kind of just sucks, whereas Unsane has even more of an edge then they did back in the Am Rep days. That fact alone makes the razor blade which adorns this fantastic album's cover all the more relevant and appropriate in order to describe the slicing cuts enclosed! 'Blood Run' is a lumbering giant of an album with thick, pounding riffage and an abrasive, untidy certainty. Deep six directly into the deep grooves of 'Backslide' for its mangled, twisted guitars and raspy, ranting vocals and you will get the drift. Coming off as a mixture between space rock, grunge and blues on 'Killing Time' sounds so comfortable for this band, they move between atmospheres with grace but never fail to remain dischordant, cacophonous and crushing on eleven tracks. In all reality this record feels more like 'Bleach' era Nirvana than the alt metal Helmet on some occasions, but Unsane pull it off with a thick and evil emotion that separates them from the sound of these bands and carves a deep nitch for them as a wholly original and remarkably heavy act on their own merits. 'Got It Down' finds a Clutch-like sympathy timed with cool vocal lines and a slinking rhythm. These guys pull off some well timed stop action work on this track that shows they're really playing together, keeping it tight and punchy with the arrangement and delivering with a biting attack. With the resonating vibration which oozes from 'Hammered Out', you would swear you were listening to an ensemble which embraces the tenants of doom metal with open arms. By this point in the recording, you'll realize that you are listening to a critical release as things really never let up from the album's raunchy and raving introduction, progressing through the chaotic, driving 'D Train' through the decidedly bottom heavy and jolting 'Latch'. Over the years, Unsane has perfected this type of sound, playing with a loose yet massive heaviness that makes for engaging aural stimulation. Unsane are unstoppable.
Review by: Erin Fox
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