Czar - Vertical Mass Grave
Rating
RIYL
MastodonIsis
Gojira
Strapping Young Lad
Release Date
12/06/2011
Label
Crack NationTracklist
1. Family Crest2. Scarless
3. Cun
4. Diapers
5. Brunt
6. Tubman Gutletter
7. Writhe
8. Blodeuwedd
9. Spooling Down
10. Redeemer
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The state of music in the modern era has allowed musicians and fans to appreciate a myriad of different genres. Progressive metal guitarists have side projects as dubstep producers. Hip-hop is attracting more and more “rock kids,” and bands often seem to bring such an odd assortment of influences to the table that it’s becoming more difficult to track down a precise genre label.
Enter in Chicago’s own Czar. Forming from industrial and electronic musicians, one would think we would have a nice slab of Nine Inch Nails worship, right? Well not so much. Czar is a literal hodgepodge of everything that’s good in modern metal. The easiest way to describe their sound would be post-metal with the gas pedal fully depressed. There’s a fair share of Gojira’s progressive groove, a heaping bit of Mastodon’s progressive stoner sludge, and it's all executed from a post-metal perspective with the proper atmosphere and tone. If that sounds appealing, stop reading this now and give “Diapers” a listen. Each element of the band’s sound is executed well throughout the track.
The oddest part of Vertical Mass Grave is that the musical influences would suggest that the album is a dense listen requiring multiple attempts to take in at once, but that would be far from the truth. Rather, the band seems to have understood that melody can reign supreme in progressive metal, creating a listen that is equal parts captivating and catchy. It does not take a degree from the Berklee School of Music to understand why “Writhe” is so much damn fun. Featuring a killer riff and a driving tempo, the song leaps out of the gate and plants itself firmly in the lobe of your brain where awesome riffs are stored.
The glaring flaw of the album is that not every track keeps up to the standard set by “Writhe” and “Diapers.” There are no duds, per se, but a couple tracks are more forgettable more so than glaringly bad. If the band can write an entire album of songs up to the standard they can clearly meet, then we have ourselves a band to be reckoned with in the future.
Fans of post and progressive metal have another band to watch in the coming years. Vertical Mass Grave is not a perfect release, but the disparate influences come together to create a unique and enjoyable listening experience that is more exciting when considering that this is the band’s first release.
--Nick Senior
Comments
San Diego, CA
I am intrigued
Too old to bother, too young to give a shit.
Reno, NV
Me too. So the brain does actually have a section for killer riff storage? Nice.
http://buckybloggy.blogspot.com/
Fishers, Indiana
Me three! JUST WHAT HAVE YOU STUMBLED UPON HERR SENIOR
Top Albums: 2011 | 2010 | 2009 || Tumblr | Twitter
Ada, Ohio
Something awesome and unholy. The riffs in "Write" and "Diapers" are still in that section of my brain. Let me know what you guys think.
Reno, NV
Your last paragraph sums it up perfectly. Man, there are a lot of other bands named Czar out there. I listened to this while shredding down the ski slopes yesterday and it was pretty enjoyable. But, I put on Cobra Khan's - Adversities immediately afterward, and it kind of brought this one down a knotch. But very enjoyable nonetheless.
http://buckybloggy.blogspot.com/
Fishers, Indiana
So this ain't for me. I eventually cut right to Diapers, and meh. All riff, no fun.
Top Albums: 2011 | 2010 | 2009 || Tumblr | Twitter
London, UK
I find myself listening to this quite a lot at the moment. May not be anything that revolutionary, but the mix of sludgy riffs and just enough melody fits really well. Definitely one to keep an eye on for the future.
Currently listening to:
Tetrafusion - Horizons EP
NAMI - Fragile Alignments
Fleshgod Apocalypse - Agony
A Hope For Home - In Abstraction
Blindead - Affliction XXIX II MXMVI
Ada, Ohio
Glad you liked it, Max! I've found myself coming back to this a little more than I expected. I still don't see this sneaking into my top 15, but it's an enjoyable album nonetheless.