Saturday, November 24, 2012

Review: Metz - Metz

Unlike most Canadian bands Toronto 3 piece Metz have a simple philosophy: keep it simple, keep it short and keep it loud! extremely loud! Metz's self titled debut album is one of the finest rock records in recent history; it's thrilling, intense, bombastic. everything a rock record should be. All eleven songs clock in at under 30mins combined. Metz don't mess around, there's no foreplay, they beat you over the head with what they have to say and move onto the next song. Each one a precision audio bomb of distilled anger.

Headache instantly transports you in to 'Rated R' style soundscape of thumping drums and vigorous down-stroking bass while Alex Edkins's vocal delivery echoes P.I.L. era Johnny Rotten in places; it's an echo that becomes louder as the album progresses. Hayden Menzies, drums, immediately announces himself as a contender for Drum-God status with his powerful snare fills and relentless floor-tom work. The high octane riffs are battered home in traditional 4/4 time though the breathless Get Off and Sad Pricks.

By the time Rats starts you realise that each song is a variation on the same musical equation; which is fine, but if you are not already hooked by now nothing that follows will change your mind drastically in favour of Metz; in fact it will probably only irk you further, as an over reliance on several rhythm figures is the albums major flaw. However songs such as Negative Space and Wet Blanket leap forward thanks to the relentless gusto of the three piece.

Metz swagger into a sonic space which has been occupied by Nirvana, BRMC, Kyuss and Sonic Youth in the past; bringing an exuberance to the genre. An exuberance which buys them some leeway and perhaps even some forgiveness for having the chutzpah to stand on the shoulders of such giants. Alex Edkins and Co. have created an album of throbbing disquiet which has blown the cobwebs off of rock 'n' roll. And for that they should be saluted.

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