Monday, February 20, 2012

Fister - Violence (2012)




Falling under a mixture of doom and sludge metal tones comes a band by the name of Fister. They are a three man band from Saint Louis, Missouri and have released their new album, entitled “Violence.” The album consists of five gruesome tracks that throw everything from vicious screams and muffled growls to monstrous guitar riffs and exploding drum rolls all into one big mess of sound.

The album starts off with “Violence I: Forced Extinction.” It fades in with a screechy sound that makes you want to skip the track immediately, however, you should continue to listen through because it’s worth it when the music kicks in. About 30 seconds into the song comes muddy distorted guitars that rumble in with heavy chugging patterns. They are accompanied by relentless cymbals that smash in the background while booming kicks and snares keep the tempo at a slow speed. Vocals soon follow as the lead vocalist delivers reckless and unclear lyrics that are full of rage and fly high over the distortion and bass. After six minutes of violent punishment you run into “Violence II: The An Lushan Rebellion.” The vocals pick right back up with rough growls that are layered with swampy guitar riffs that chug away with tremendous distortion. The tempo stays at a slow speed but with guitar riffs like these you’ll be bashing you’re head to the melody immediately.

“Violence III: Trail Of Tears” is nothing but three and a half minutes of calmness. You don’t really hear much but gloomy sounds and haunting effects. Although the quietness is nice to take in, the track doesn’t really serve any point to the album. If anything it breaks up the flow and momentum of what was heard in the first two tracks. “Violence IV: Global Nuclear Annihilation” however jumps right back into a chaotic mess with aggressive guitar riffs and wicked melodies and chugging patterns. Cymbals shatter heavily in the background while thumping kicks and bass lines roll recklessly underneath. The vocals come shouting in with raging delivery and maniacal lyrics. The guitars will completely destroy you with their heavy dosage of distortion as they are constantly slammed giving your ears not one second to rest.

The final track on the album, “Violence V: Megabolide (Returns To The Heavens)” jumps in with strange sound effects and eerie synth noises. The monstrous guitar riffs don’t actually start until about two minutes into the song. That’s already half of the song which kind of bums you out since you’re looking forward to a powerful ending. Not to say that this track isn’t powerful, it’s just shorter than you’d hope for. The final two minutes are basically nothing but brutal chugging guitar riffs that will have you bashing your head all the way through to the end. Constant cymbals are blaring in the background as you’ll come across some interesting snare and kick fills. They’re tough to hear so you might have to replay this track a couple of times. Before you know it the album is over and you’ll be looking to hit the repeat button.

“Violence” has an outstanding mixture of doom and sludge metal tones that collide in a thunderous way. The recording quality is clear instrument wise however the vocals seem to be a bit muddy throughout the album. This actually works out great though as it gives that dark stoner type of sound to the mix and really gives the album that unique sound that separates the band from others. I would definitely check this album out. It leaves you wanting much more.

8/10

Official Site - http://fisterdoom.com/
Bandcamp - http://fister.bandcamp.com/

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