| CD REVIEW Fuck The Facts |
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Band : Fuck The Facts Although this Ottawa act came to international attention thanks to their 2006 Relapse release Stigmata High-Five, a lot had happened before.Originally FTF started as a pure recording project by guitarist Topon Das as far back as the late '90s, and following a boast of early recordings (including split tapes with the likes of S.M.E.S. and Mascectonmia) FTF started to get a name among Underground fans of Grind and Noise. When he released the full-length Discoing The Dead in 2000 (officially released on CD by Black Hole Productions in 2003), reactions even became só positive that he decided to make FTF a full-fledged band in 2001, able to take his music on the road. The first line-up of the band would include singer Brent Christoff, second guitarist Tim Audette, and drummer Matt Connell, and by the Fall of Year One, the quartet would record enough material for their full-length Mullet Fever (only released in 2005 on Sonic Deadline Records) and a split 7-inch with Kastrat (issued through Zas! Autoproduzioni in 2002). Chritoff felt he was unable to continue with the band after the recordings, and he was swiftly replaced by Mel Mongeon. Already in early 2002 the new line-up had gathered the material to record yet another full-length (Backstabber Etiquette, issued through Grind It!/ Great White North Records in 2003) and a split 7-inch with Sylvester Staline (on Anvil Of Fury Records). Thanks to a new maturity in the material, the band found a broader public, which got them to work even harder and go out and play more often. This eventualy led to the loss of Audette, who did is last gigs with the band in June of 2003. As a 3-piece the band then recorded the material for a split CD with Feeble Minded (issued through Grodhaisn Productions later that same year), showcasing the further progression the band made, both in musicianship and song writing. In spite of being just a trio at that time, the band toured the US with Malefaction in August. Upon their return home, they swiftly recruited guitarist Dave Menard into their fold...bringing new inspiration which the quartet used to record a new split CD with Sergeant Slaughter (issued through Undecent Records/ Meat 5000 Records). At this point FTF started to incorporate more Metal, with an Experimental approach, in their music, and Connell decided he would have to leave the band. Before doing so, early 2004 still saw him cooperate in the recording of the 3 songs for a split 7-inch with Subcut (issued on the Bucho Discos imprint). A replacement was luckily found quickly enough in Tim Olsen, and at the same time the band enlisted the services of Marc-Andre Mongeon on the bass. Only a month after Connell's departure, the band was back on the live circuit. In the Fall of 2004 the new line-up had its recoding debut with 6 far more experimental tracks, which the band self-released on the Legacy To Hopelessness EPCD. The same recordings (minus the two enhanced bonus tracks) were given an "official" release through European label Privileged To The Fall on a 4-way split CD with Archer, Midget Parade, and Narcosis. Regrettably, both Matt and Dave found the band's constant touring to be more than they could handle, so it was decided that they would step down before the touring of Summer 2005 would begin. The remaining three jumped into the rehearsal rooms with temporary recruits Mathieu Vilandré (guitar) and Steve Chartier (bass) for only a couple of weeks, and jumped right onto the touring schedule again. After the first month-long tour, both new guys were taken in as permanent members. During October of that year, the band wrote the material for an upcoming new full-length, and demoed two songs (with former drummer Matt Connell) which were sent out to record labels. The rest of the year xwas spent completing the writing process and rehearsals for the recording. The start of 2006 found the band going through yet another line-up change when Olsen was asked to make his hasty departure. Vilandré, whom had already replaced him on the drums on previous shows, was then installed on the drum seat permanently, and in February the band entered a studio to record their Sigmata High-Five album. Soon after the recording the band was contacted (and contracted) by Relapse. In May Great White North Records issued the Collection Of Splits 2002-2004 CD (featuring remastered versions of all the recordings the band had done between Backstabber Etiquette and Legacy Of Hopelessness). After this, my info source becomes a little shrouded in clouds. I know that 2006 was finished with two more split 7-inch releases (the first with Pleasant Valley on an undisclosed independent label, the second on Sir Punky/ Sonic Deadline), but other than that the info sources I found kinda contradict each other (P.S.: upon further deliberation after finishing this review, I've decided to reveal to you that a pretty complete discography of the band can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuck_The_Facts_discography). On the info supplied by the label, Chartier is still part of the band, but at the band's MySpace page only Mel, Topon, and Vil are mentioned as members. Then, on the live footage posted in the blogs of that page, you'll find the band playing as a fivesome (besides, the picture on the back of my promo copy of the album also depicts 5 members)! Anyways, the new album...because I found out immediately that there was a multi-media section to it, that's what I decided to check out first when getting acquainted with the band, and besides a video relating to the making of the album, I also found a funny fictional story about how the band found their inspiration for the new material. Well, no matter how much truth is behind the trip Vil and Topon possibly made from their homestead of Ottawa in Canada to the border of Mexico, the guys also possibly got the album's title from it, so...weird! The "File Under" tage from Relapse tells you to categorize the band as Hardcore/ Metal/ Grindcore, and in some ways that is certainly accurate. Because there's always the Grind approach by Mel's voice (whom but rarely brings in a verse with actually female sounding vocals, and even then only to bring in some haunted woman's screams). Musically, the band is very diverse. The first portion of the album consists of short sharp and fast shocks (with a length between 32 seconds for album opener "Borders" to 3:07 for "Driving Through Fallen Cities" with surprising break-downs and pace changes, changing of time signatures, and with those 7 first songs (sorry, tracks, because the 64-second "Dead End" is an instrumental) being played without any mute moments in between, you actually feel like you're listening to one long and diversified track. Now, although there are moments where the band goes all-out...as warranted by the Grindcore genre...they also have much calmer and down-pace passages, which is yet another element to help you listen out the album from the get-go. At first, I took the band's high melodic standard was due to the guitarists' great nack at making the best from rather simple riffery and solo/ lead interplay, but even before I got to track four I realized the guys have a very technical approach to their playing. When the very catchy and melodic "La Culture Du Faux" fall in, you can't help but notice that a new song was started, because the difference with the preceeding songs is simply too big. This is also the song towards the end of which Mel brings in that haunted bit of vocals I talked about before. Well, actuallly, it's a bridge towards the next song, the absolute Grind slasher "State Of Panic". And following this song, you finally get your bit of mute space between tracks. The ensuing "No Place For Failure" opens weird enough, with something that sounds like guitars played in the background (way back there), then bursting open into a full-fledged Math track with Grind colouring (always, and again, Mel's vocals), keeping you in tension the whole amazing 5:24 of its length, thanks to an incredibly calm and beautiful atmospheric passage! But the following "The Storm" is even longer with 9:20 of playing time. Still, thanks to the variety worked into the song you'll find yourself riveted to your seat throughout the track, and that possibly even during those calmer or down-paced moments!!! The ensuing 2:42 "Apathy Is A Karma Killer" opens with the calmest minute on the whole album but then lashes at you with its down-paced power...and Mel's vocals (however else, eh?)...before closing off the same serene way as in the opening. "Golden Age" starts off as a high-pace Math-like song, but knows a couple of down-pace passage breaks. The ensuing 4:48 "The Pile Of Flesh You Carry" then, openes with a short (movie) sample before giving you yet the same recipe, and the same goes for album closer "Sleepless". Hold it...did I use the words "album closer"? That ain't quite correct, because when playing the CD in my compact CD/mp3-player, I get a total of 7 extra sampler experiments in sound, of which the first is the only deservant of the title of "song". Filled with a multitude of movie soundtrack passages (some of which are repeated on purpose), there's at least a passage in that almost 11-minute track where Mel gets to give her usual explosive performance, and where you'll hear actual guitar being played. Otherwize you'll recognize the drum play, but I cannot tell you what effects or instruments the artists used to make the sounds you here there! The other 6 tracks are shorter, from 33 seconds to 2:07, the whole bunch totalling to 18 minutes extra on top of the album's 43 ½ minutes' playing time! From July 7 to 21, the band posted another song off the album (with a max of 6, so taking off one song every time as well) at myspace.com/fuckthefacts, so I'm not sure what you'll find on there at this moment. But you can be sure it'll have your head spinning! Anyways, if you're into Extreme music, by all means check the band out, and don't forget the blogs, because those include several pieces of live footage. Personally, I've found a new love, and you can be sure I'll be asking the store owner to order me anything still available by the band, next time I pass by the record store!!! 98/100 Tony. |