Bloodiest

Bloodiest

If there’s a downside to the rumbly growl emerging from the twisted minds of former and current members of Russian Circles, Corrections House, Yakuza and Atombombpocketknife who comprise Chicago’s Bloodiest, it’s the sextet’s unwillingness to push tempos beyond a snarling, hammer-slams-nail, mid-paced plod. However, when a gold-standard knuckle-dusting that’s part Swans churn, part Neurosis’ tribal stomp with Unsane’s propulsive groove is employed, does a lack of temporal variety matter? Probably not as Bruce Lamont’s harrowing vocal tone meshes with the creepiest guitar crawl this side of the first half of Naked City’s Grand Guignol (“Mesmerize,” “Broken Teet”), while “The Widow” is the spindly sort of sonic ooze Tool’s more avant-garde-leaning fans wish they would write.

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Mesmerize