Keeping as simple but as vicious as possible -- drums, bass, and that's it --
Godheadsilo brought out the master rock on its debut. Anyone who appreciates the work of fellow Olympia-associated denizens like
Karp will likely find something to love here, while the production makes everything sound like it should be -- loud, pissed-off, and going to crush everything in its way. Mike Kunka's bass playing sounds more like a lead guitar in a bass body, with massive riffs leading the way, while his semi-strangled vocals lurk in the mix, sometimes audible and other times completely sacrificed to the flow (and at points, some sheer white noise). Dan Haugh's drumming keeps up all the metal power anyone would want, but there's something in this that's beyond simply being grunge or hardcore or any other easily applied label. A song like "Mr. Push Up" is pure epic stomp, with its extended opening, absolutely huge, chunky rhythms and the heavily flanged conclusion, with Kunka's feedback moving in a slow cycle while he adds some further doomy notes for effect. Odd samples and inclusions vary the album's steady grind, including such songs as "Ventrilloqueef," with a sample from Heathers chopped up and made even creepier, or the opening lounge-sax oddity on "Another Schizoid Ambition." Then there's the bass/piano (!) instrumental, a brevity titled "Two Peanuts Are Walking Down the Street," not to mention "Rainbow Connection," which indeed takes a small bit of Kermit the Frog's original and plays around with it in an extremely strange fashion. There's even a bit of relative accessibility here and there -- "I Luv U...nicorns" may not have the title of a
Motorhead song, but there's still something almost engagingly poppy about it -- almost. ~ Ned Raggett