[rating=7.00]
Forming as a supergroup of sorts and featuring Cave In guitarist and singer Steve Brodsky, Converge drummer Ben Koller and bassist Nick Cageao, Mutoid Man’s full-length debut Bleeder was an all-out metal assault. Fast and furious, brief and brash, it was a collection of heavy songs that displayed incredible technical musicianship with massive riffing, and fantastic lead vocals and melodies from guitarist/singer Brodsky. After non-stop touring and a stint as the house band on the amazing metal-themed take on the late night TV “Two Minutes to Late Night” (seriously, check this out on YouTube), Mutoid Man is back with their second effort, War Moans.
Musically speaking, War Moans picks up right where Bleeder left off as Mutoid Man knows no other gear than relentlessly pummeling metal. Much like the previous record, most of the tracks on War Moans are quick hits, with only 5 of its 12 tracks being longer than 3:30. Even with that, it’s pretty amazing how much Mutoid Man can accomplish in such a short span of time. Brodsky is still the lynchpin of the band with the unique ability to take his melodic influences and vocals to layer them over blistering heavy music.
Brodsky is also an excellent guitarist and while he spent a lot of time toying with effects in his fantastic flasgship band Cave In, Mutoid Man features straight-forward guitar tone and dozens of riffs. War Moans messes a little bit more with tempo, as some songs take on low string, slower, palm-muted chugging to create a groove rather than relying on speed. This is best scene in the track “Kiss of Death,” which is an excellent display of how slow can be just as heavy as fast. Then again, Mutoid Man feels most at home when they are galloping through, such as on the track “Micro-Aggression” which starts with an In Flames-esque style melodic death guitar part into Brodsky’s complex high string noodling into a classic Mutoid Man main riff.
One thing that can be seen in certain things like “Two Minutes to Late Night” and especially on this album is that Mutoid Man is having a blast doing what they are doing. The first tracks contain audible laughter and shouting at one another. Lyrically, Brodsky plays around with silly metal tropes, including the track “Date with The Devil,” which include the lyrics “came inside of Satan’s daughter, nine months later, who’s the father?”
Don’t think, however, that just because Mutoid Man is leaning into the metal attitudes and are having a blast doing so that they aren’t taking this seriously. War Moans is easily one of the best produced and mixed metal albums you’ll hear. The guitar tones are thick, especially when on the lower notes, while the high notes and leads sound big and loud. The drums are crisp and clean and, most importantly, the bass is very present in the mix and every single note can be heard all culminating in the album sounding absolutely massive for a three-piece.
If there is anything negative to say about War Moans is that it isn’t as instantly memorable as Bleeder. Bleeder hit hard off the bat with the track “Bridgeburner” and didn’t let up with each song bringing a unique set of riffs, sometimes catching a fantastic melodic hook, and each track making its mark. War Moans is a bit less distinctive in that regard. That isn’t to say that there are “bad” tracks on the album, but they tend to run together and it feels like a whole collection, rather than parts that make a whole. At the end of the day, however, is there anything wrong with a collection of aggressive, heavy, shredding metal tracks? I think not.
