 |  | Rabbits "Lower Forms" (Relapse Records) |
The Relapse debut of this Portland power-trio is a filthy mess. Adding elements of crust-punk to their already dirty Am-Rep sound, this band is bringing abrasive noise rock to a new level.
“Burn Sun Burn” begins with ornery guitar riffs, tom-driven drumming, and bass notes that sound like they have been dragged through mud. This song shows a recurring influence throughout the album: The Melvins’ Gluey Porch Treatments. While Melvins have lost the serrated edge they once had, it’s fully present in Rabbits’ sound. Buzz-O-style vocals and slow, old-school punk guitar work drive the song. There are moments when the band’s Melvins worship goes a little too far; but complicating this influence is chaotic drumming that traverses between trash-can fills, blast beats, and nimble jazziness.
“A Tale of Tales” begins with a weird, up-beat cymbal groove that is laced with syncopation. The song is a more energetic take on the early Melvins sound, with ugly, a-tonal sing-a-longs and a healthy dose of crusty chaos. Rabbits, here and throughout the album, can sound completely sloppy, while being deceptively tight and playing off of each member’s unique abilities.
The songs that fill the gap between these first two and the last three are all solid. But they are doing similar things as the first two. This repetition is not necessarily a bad thing: it adds to the band’s goal to irritate the shit out of people. Listening to the album in one sitting is a downer, and I’m pretty sure this is exactly what Rabbits had in mind.
Finishing out the album is “Rot.” Starting with an awkward, Pentagram-style riff which is supported by crushing drumming and jazzy fills, it’s the slowest section on the album. The tempo slowly increases, then returns to the original, slow tempo. The majority of the song then traverses between slow sludge and mid-tempo dirt rock. As the guitar and bass construct walls of unfriendly noise, the drummer keeps the slow beat going with his hands, and then creates a polyrhythm with constant, frenetic double bass.
While Rabbits sometimes ape Melvins a bit too much, this album still shows a band that is moving in its own, unique direction. Making dirty noise rock even dirtier with the incorporation of crusty grind, Rabbits set themselves apart from the wave of new, Am-Rep worship bands.
-- J. ANSELMI
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