With last years OVO album Supernatural Cat introduced themselves to me in a pretty unique and memorable fashion, so it was with some excitement that I received this album. Beautifully packaged with a very Rennie Mackintosh cover illustration I didn’t have any real idea of what to expect. Maybe some alt folk noodling or electronic jazz ? I wasn’t expecting what sounds like a furious confrontation between Lightning Bolt, Judas Priest and Mastodon. Intensely fast and complicated riffs with shuffling changes in time signature that give everything a groove (sorry) that takes it out of the brutal but flat zone that progressive metal can sometimes sit in.
The first nine tracks are pretty short and butt up against each other, taking in the full gamut of what it means to be an experimental (ish) metal band with the tenth being a big long wig out that takes in some of the sights of the preceding half hour. Sickly, insectile sounding synths appear occasionally, breaking up the relentless assault of crazily dynamic drum / bass and guitar lines that intertwine throughout each song. This is a very tight sounding band on record and they are blessed with a vocalist who can do aggression without lapsing into monotone. In fact there are points at which I’m genuinely concerned that I’m going to hear a sort of wet meaty noise as he ejects his kidneys due to excessive screaming.
This is the bands third album and I’m certainly inspired enough to track down the first two.The only problem I can see with the album is that googling their name will not bring you to the band but the classic Japanese PS2 puzzle game but it’s yet another feather in Supernatural Cat’s crown. Keep ‘em coming. I’m just disappointed that there isn’t some sort of monthly podcast sort of affair where say… a couple of people could play cool tunes that they’ve found in the preceding weeks for the delectation of the general public. Then I could play “Kochab” because it’s awesome.
It’s out on May 7th on Supernatural Cat http://supernaturalcat.bigcartel.com/
Kim Monaghan
