Featuring two members of The Locust, this is a stripped to the bones and ultra focused debut album. If you didn’t know of the Locust influence you might be able to guess with some of the trademark Locust-ian song titles (“Ten Pounds of Shit In A Five Pound Bag” or “A Bastard on Father’s Day”). There is also Pearson’s distinctive voice to contend with and the fact that Retox also have a penchant for the short and sweet in terms of songwriting. Oh and they’re on Ipecac too. So how is it different to The Locust ? Well it’s a bit more straightforward, with less of the start stop dynamic that the former so comfortably play with. There are no audible keyboards and while being just as mental as the parent band, they seem a little more conventional, as if The Locust had somehow mated with Dillinger Escape Plan and produced chart friendlier offspring. Clocking in at thirteen minutes there is none of the excess that used to float around on Locust albums (I always thought “Plague Soundscapes” went on a bit) in fact listening to this frankly awesome album there is nothing out of place. The aural equivalent of having some kids give you a wedgie, then fart on your head and run away, Retox will be destroying festival stages somewhere near you in the coming year.
Kim Monaghan
