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8/27/08

All The Saints - Fire In Corridor X (2008)


Genre : Indie,Rock,Psychedelic,Experimental
Myspace

Tracklist
1 Shadow, Shadow
2 Sheffield
3 Famacia
4 Regal Regalia
5 Hornett
6 Papering Fix
7 Leeds
8 Fire On Corridor X
9 Outs
10 Mil Mil

Their new LP, Fire On Corridor X, is a commanding synthesis of the band's deafening influences, including shoe gaze, psychedelic, doom, and grunge.

Too many ingredients often makes for a muddy mix, but not this time. All the Saints keep form and function simple. Each track lurches forward, amassing tension in volume. The weighty sound threatens to self-destruct, to collapse into the noise of hopelessness and tired aggression. But this 3 piece hold it together, pacing themselves with rhythm - their terminal discipline. Ben H. Allen's ace production doesn't hurt, either.

Booming bass looms below the foundation. Quasi-tribal drums steady the ship, countering rock with rolling beats. Simple guitar riffs probe more lows than highs as the occasional feedback pushes through. Guitarist and vocalist Matt Lambert's distant and reedy vocal bears traces of Scott Weiland's tenor register. Lambert's timbre is a good match for the riffing's subterranean dirge.

The no nonsense songwriting and perfect track lengths on Fire On Corridor X harness all of the influences. There aren't many frills. After a lulling introduction, “Sheffield” crashes in, unveiling the tight rhythm section. This is just the first of several lovely wall rattlers.

“Regal Regalia” grinds ahead and “Papering Fix” is the winner for best groove. Title track “Fire On Corridor X” barely contains the expanding sound; this track is a great mix of power, pacing, volume, and energy.

"Outs" embeds itself. Like a slow drip, the strange contested beauty of this track leaks through the leaden sound, and its stains bookend the large void left in the middle. The album's stranger is “Leeds”, a lo-fi acoustic sing along that shows Lambert's crude but growing songwriting talents.

All the Saints bludgeon but don't abuse. Fire On Corridor X sets out a path easily followed by listeners. The dissonant, abrasive qualities of their hard rock sound is made palatable to all but those who shy from distortion and slow motion car crashes. It's worth checking into this. - "http://www.adequacy.net/staff.php?staffID=314"

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