The Locusts' "Plague Soundscapes" gets another fantastic review!
Forget everything you know about chaos. The Blood Brothers? Meshuggah? December? All of these bands bend and snap in comparison to this band, despite all their talent and vision. How can I blaspheme so, you ask? Well, just look at all of the bands I just mentioned, and take a look at all of their most recent records. All excellent stuff, right? Yes. But alas, look at the track times - each song from those bands run about 4 minutes long, and it takes that long to create a lasting impression in the listener. Now, take a look at the average track time on the new album from The Locusts ("Plague Soundscapes"), and what do you see? 1 minute. Yea, this band is so good that they can create the most chaotic environment in less than the time you can reheat already boiling spaghetti sauce in the microwave - and they don't just do it a couple times, the same effect just so happens to wrap onto all 23 songs on this record. Amazing, isn't it? I'm just getting started.
I don't know how many of you are familiar with the band Anal Cunt, but they were/are a band that pride(d) themselves on having better song titles than actual songs. None of the tracks were really that spectacular, but with names like "I Gave Your Kid AIDS So You Could Watch It Die," there was no need for any other sort of standard. Well, The Locust have apparently studied their Anal Cunt collections and gotten quite a few ideas that wouldn't surprise me if they were coming from AC themselves (take "Psst Is That A Halfie In Your Pants," for instance). But all comparisons truly stop there, for real. All of their songs are actually composed, and somehow, you can tell one song from another after many repeat listens. Unlike their mentors, they don't rely on death metal grinds to make it through the song. Instead, they focus on extremely odd time-signatures (which seems to be a pretty popular thing these days) with Blood Brothers-type vocal dualings. Not only does this make an intense listening experience, it truly leaves you bewildered and breathless.
How these guys in their short lifespans created such a musical catastrophe is beyond me. One listen to the fifth track "Earwax Halo Manufactured For The Champion In All of Us" and you, no matter if you like the music or not, have to admit that you admire their dedication to making the most annoying music possible - and how fucking beautiful it turns out to be once you understand the formula and execution.
"Plague Soundscapes" is truly The Locust's life masterpiece. After a couple 7" and EP releases and one full length for Gold Standard back in 1999, they have finally reached their pinnacle. Hell, it's more than just their pinnacle - it has to be the pinnacle of this genre. Nothing else in this field of music has come this close to being the perfect statement, and I don't think anything really will ever again - unless it comes from these guys. Sure, Dillinger Escape Plan's "Calculating Infinity" was said to be one of the most landmark albums in the genre, but after just one listen to this record, there's no way you can think of that record in the same light. It just doesn't hold a nickel to even a single track on this record - nothing is as complex, as innovative, or imaginative.
Just like Refused changed how the world thought about punk music with "The Shape of Punk To Come" back in 1998, The Locust have established themselves as the most insane band that is active right now. Denying how important this release is isn't just stupid, it's futile.
*9/10*
- Timothy Golden
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