Concrete Lung - Subtract Nerve

Alright, metalheads, I'm writing this one out for you. In the latter half of 2007 formed Concrete Lung, an experimental metal band that's looking to rip and tear your ears off as they serve you up a pile of muddy and gritty metal. They succeed in every sense of the word, serving up nearly a half hour of metal to get you ready to throw yourself into a thrash pit and kick some ass.

The first track on the EP, User, starts us off with a slow pace and some nice chanting. A drum then kicks in, and, well, the rest is history. About a little less than a minute and a half of the song, we are served up some nice guitar work with the standard vocals that accompany metal. A pretty low growl that I swear I've heard before. It's not bad, as this is what metal should sound like; but, during the chorus, it sounds amazing, as the chanting accompanying the growls remind me of a demon and an angel trying to outshine one another.

Self-Shriek (Intensity), Rot and Seethe, Waste, and Flux all continue the brutality of the album, slamming out guitar riffs and hard drums, never ceasing to give us a break from the chaos. However, the final track on the album is pretty different. Rather than shooting straight to metal, it's very quiet until a single note comes forth. Some jazz like tunes accompany it, when finally the screaming comes along. There are two voices; as I sit here, listening on my headphones, one voice comes through on my left ear, and one on my right. It's almost as if there's a devil telling you what to do on both shoulders. And the song kind of just goes back to how the beginning of it started and quiets down.

Now, while this duo isn't the best thing in the world and hasn't perfected their tunes as of yet, they served up a pretty convincing EP that'll definitely put them out there. I have heard better metal in the past, and this probably isn't something I'll return to anytime soon, but I'm still glad I took the time out of my day to listen to this debut EP. And, also, it's available on CD for a pretty cheap price; there's only nine copies left on their BandCamp site. GO ORDER IT BEFORE IT'S GONE. Feb 07 2014