Is "ADD metal" a genre yet? It seems like it should be, with bands like HORSE the Band, Genghis Tron, and now Iwrestledabearonce throwing multiple styles into a big bubbling pot and coming up with a thick, gooey stew that's briefly enjoyable but leaves a nasty, greasy aftertaste. Iwrestledabearonce have a relatively commanding presence on this, their full-length debut, mostly because of frontwoman Krysta Cameron, who combines the throat-shredding screams of Landmine Marathon's Grace Perry with the sub-goth clean singing style of Evanescence's Amy Lee. The band's grindcore parts are precise and mechanistic, but indistinguishable from those of 100 or more other bands; it's only when they leap into an electro-disco interlude, or start going jazz-prog for no reason, that one's attention is piqued, and even then it's not necessarily a good thing. It's impossible to hear what they're doing and come up with a good answer to the question "OK, but why?" This kind of sonic hyperactivity and ironic eclecticism appeals to a certain narrow demographic, though, and those who can't stomach the idea of a band doing the same thing for three straight minutes will find much relief for their itchy ears.
© Phil Freeman /TiVo