Iwrestledabearonce
Ruining It For EverybodyCentury Media
Well, one thing’s for sure – Louisiana’s Ursus-grappling tech-mentalists know how to make an interesting mess. Throwing ten-thousand different ideas at a wall and compressing the toxic residue that results into thirty-odd minutes of genre-defying, irreverent tunage, Iwrestledabearonce certainly haven’t gone pop on us, and thankfully, the mooted shift to black metal hasn’t materialised… ‘Ruining It For Everybody’ is definitely cut from the same cloth as their debut, ‘It’s All Happening’, but it also marks a definite leap forward in the songwriting stakes, while bringing the electronic and melodic elements further to the forefront.
Apologies to the total newcomers: we should probably explain. IWABO are one of those rare bands who are near impossible to categorise (the terms ‘spastic’ and ‘schizophrenic’ are often used in an attempt to do so, but frankly this is, as well as being pointlessly offensive, completely misplaced – please do the research*) and as such give purists a major headache, colliding sounds as disparate as grindcore, synthpop and avant-jazz to create an unholy, unnervingly catchy sonic collage – like a work of ‘modern art’ it’s sometimes incoherent, often shocking, but sometimes rather beautiful. While ‘You Know That Ain’t Them Dog’s Real Voice’ adopts many of the tropes of the metalcore genre (screamed/melodic vocals, breakdown-ish sections, super-heavy guitars), it’s all done at lightning speed and with a perverse undercurrent that’s typical of the band, while ‘This Head Music Makes My Eyes Rain’ features an array of lush synths and equally dulcet vocals from Krysta Cameron – you really don’t know what’s around the next corner, and it’s an exhilarating ride throughout.
Whether exploring extreme territory (‘It Is “Bro” Isn’t It?) or attempting to be everything at once (‘I’m Gonna Shoot’) IWABO achieve a fairly high success-rate – besides, if one part doesn’t tickle your fancy you can bet that something completely different will be with you in a few seconds. You’ll have to make up your own minds whether it’s for you, but Dillinger fans after a bit of light relief, and adventurous metalheads looking for something genuinely different, should step right up.
*Sorry, real bugbear there.
Buy this album from Amazon
Review by Rob Sayce
