| CD REVIEW Trash Talk |
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Band : Trash Talk Formed in the Fall of 2005, Sacramento based "Hardcore" act Trash Talk (line-up consisting of Spencer, Rashod, Lee, and Garrett, but I have no idea what are their individual functions in the band...what's for sure, is that they have two vocalists frequently dueling with each other) issued a first 7-track demo tape (simply titled Demo 2005) later that same year. Things picked up fairly quickly for the quartet, and 2006 saw them bring two releases (first a self-titled, 11-track 7-inch EP on Sell Our Souls; then a split 7-inch on Spiderghost Press Gang with Steel Trap to which TT contributed 3 tracks). 2007 was calmer in the release area (the band only putting out the 11-track Walking Disease EP on the Rumble and Six Feet Under imprints), but then the band started increasing their live activities exponentially. In fact, such has been their touring schedule since the beginning of thís year, that the band has hardly had time to take a breather at home. The guys started 2008 with the release of yet another new (only 6-tracked this time) 7-inch EP issued by Malfunction Records (titled Plagues, andalso released in CD form under the title Plagues...Walking Disease – in other words, containing bóth 7-inch EPs, and clocking in at just under 15 minutes), and in late February they signed a deal with Reflections for the European release (on CD and vinyl) of their upcoming "full-length" album (the band keeping the vinyl release on US soil in their own hands this time). So, on March 16 and 17, the guys recorded the 12 tracks for this album at Chicago's Electrical Audio Recording Studios under productional supervision of none other than the great Steve Albini. Musically, TT belong among the newest generation of pissed-off US Hardcore bands, but then pissed-off to the extreme! With down-tuned guitar(s?), there's a duality in the music with calmer, albeit Sludgy slow parts being alternated against rather chaotic fast-paced passages (which are rather Power Violence like in atmosphere), occasionally bridged (because the transition can also be quite sudden) with mid-paced breaks. Track lengths are (as you might've gathered from the amount of songs the band has put on their 7-inch EPs) rather short, vaying from 18 seconds ("Incarcerate") on the shortest end to 1 ½ minutes in the longer range...and with a staggeringly long album closing "Revelation" (no less than 4:32!) on the longest end. Vocally, there's two of te guys constantly alternating/ battling with each other in ultra rough voices. This band has everything to make for some truly varied pit dancing. In fact, the short tracks and frequently changing paces will simply motivate the moshers to continue from the band's opening song to their closing track. If you're looking for comparisons, Negative Approach or Outbreak come close, but really you're better off checking out the band's sound for yourself by surfing to myspace.com/trashtalkfu, where the band has posted two songs off the "full-length" (which still is only just over 14 minutes long!!!), one track off Plagues, and three more off Walking Disease. You can also listen to the complete album by surfing to (www.)punknews.org/bands/trashtalk or 3voor12.vpro.nl/luisterpaal/10617791 (no "www." needed). Hopefully, you can listen to the songs as they are put on the CD (in some cases without mute parts between the songs, so they kinda sound like one whole...which increases the chaotic feel when you're now purposefully watching the track listing on the cd-player, since there's already pace changes withín songs too). Personally, I lóve this kind of ultra-brutal stuff with a bit of Grinding guitars in the more chaotic parts, and against better judgement I'm gonna try to get some of these guys' older stuff on vinyl (I doubt whether the band's previous releases will be available on European soil though, especially since they were all made in such limited amounts)! In spite of Trash Talk's short length, I'm putting this in my "Bast Albums Of 2008"-list! 98/100 Tony. |