(c) Quiet Man
The former God Root dare a reboot with a modified line-up: Quiet Man are anything but calm, and that’s not the only contradiction they transport with their music and their performance. The quintet from Philadelphia is mainly at home in the Sludge, and also has a heart for psychedelic sounds. However, these should by no means invite you on confused trips, but condense the ponderous lyrical content and create a holistic sound experience. Also the artwork of their debut „The Starving Lesson“ introduces some ambiguity.
“From Tomorrow’s Dead Hiss” addresses ecological genocide in 13 long minutes, and it quickly becomes clear where this band’s destructive, challenging journey is headed. Sludge serves as the anchor point for repeated blasts, each more scathing than the next. Especially the almost spiritual-seeming middle part with chant-like vocals behind sharp screams is skilfully reflected on the mood, the minute-long minimalist finish fits the picture in the best sense. Tracks like “All Along, We Were Beautiful Radiant Things”, which wants to give something like hope in the midst of doom, skilfully intensify the musical experience.
“Set To Boil Is The New Standard” is also exciting, which literally falls right into the house. Almost doomy tempo, oppressive explosiveness and a treatise on capitalism as an apocalyptic scenario come together. Repeated short caesuras go to the substance in the best sense of the word. The opening ‘Pressure To Burrow’, on the other hand, pulls out one of the best riffs on the entire album, finding similarities between the aforementioned ecocide and the destruction of the self when loved ones become addicted to heavy drugs. The driven final act cuts through the soul life like a hot knife.
Hardly any other band is currently so grueling, so destructive. Sludge may be Quiet Man’s adopted home, but it often serves ‘only’ as a means to an end, to complete destruction. The immersive sound experience is given an additional level of meaning by the no less oppressive to oppressive lyrics, and so it ultimately takes a lot of courage to actually be able to tackle “The Starving Lesson”. The way the US quintet breaks down expectations into their component parts fascinates and moves in equal measure – sludge for advanced at the end of all times.
Rating: 8/10
Available from: 07/14/2023
Available through: Riff Merchant Records / Astralands
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Quietmanband
The Starving Lesson by QUIET MAN
Category: Magazin, Reviews