Jowls - Cursed

 

The album opens with silence leading to the blood-curdling screams of Ryan Martin… and with that, the album never lets up. 

There is no singing.  There is only screaming.  Pure, unadulterated, beautiful screaming.  Surrounding the harsh vocals is a surprisingly melodic and beautiful musical arrangement.  This is a powerful trio, capable of playing the most beautiful of chords and the most brutal of noise. 

The songs just don’t let up.  It opens up with “Ruins” and the vocal and musical intensity is almost frightening.  This isn’t shred metal.  This is hardcore at its finest.  It’s relatable to a band like Every Time I Die.  It’s technical in its intelligence.  They aren’t trying to impress you with their riffage.  They are trying to touch you with their intense sound. 

The bass work is awesome.  It’s chunky and almost punkish.  It has a raw sound that many bands would kill for.  The drumming is par for the course.  It is solid and maintains the intensity throughout.  I would imagine that a live show from these guys would be an incredibly loud and intense affair.  My favorite track on the album has to be Monotoned.  It begins with a drum tag, then falls into an awesome bass riff that really gets the blood pumping.  The guitar kicks in in an unexpected way.  You usually think the guitar will follow the bass or take the lead, but it almost serves as the backing to the amazing bass line. 

This is a great feature of this band.  They are incredibly intelligent and obviously incredibly musical.  These songs are extremely short.  This is a quick listen.  But if you’re into the hard, heavy, brutal, yet beautiful, then this band is for you.  Give them a listen. 

--The Professor