SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY
Parasite
FerretTrack listing:
01. Baby, You Make Me Wish I Had Three Hands
02. Good Christians Don't Get Jiggy With It 'Til After Marriage
03. Honey, I've Never Had Sex that Wasn't Awkward
04. Before I Die I'm Gonna F*ck Me a Fish
05. Here, Take this Pill
06. How to Survive a Vicious Cock Fight
07. Paraphilia
08. Just Out of Curiosity, Are Your Parents Siblings?
09. 8 Dead, 9 If You Count the Fetus
10. Man-Dude vs. Dude-Brah (Where's the Party At?)
11. Let's Go Halvsies on a Bastard
12. A Portable Death Ray and a Sterile Claw Hammer
13. Pogonatrophy Part One: The Hunter
14. Pogonatrophy Part Two:Part Two: The Parasite
For the sake of the review, we will assume that this Michigan band's name, SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY, comes from a harrowing tale of murder and betrayal that started and ended on a Tuesday. How else would you explain the inspiration behind the lethally chaotic modern grindcore/death metal (toss in abrasive hardcore lunacy as well) of "Parasite"? It is an 18-minute technical tornado of broken glass and steel shards, the spiraling licks and tremolo screams, over which vocalist Fox scream his lungs out and digs down deep for some impressive guttural death growls, is awfully goddamn unsettling.
If you concern yourself with such pesky issues as verse-chorus-verse song structuring, repeating riffs, or memorable melodies, then you might want to skip this one altogether. After all, guitarist/songwriter Drew Slavik made certain that no riff was repeated on "Parasite", and also happens to have a hard-on for the whammy bar. And I must say that there is some viciously ear-piercing whammy action on this sucker, the tail end of "Before I Die I'm Gonna Fuck Me a Fish" coming off like a coked-up dentist gone mad with his drill. Surprisingly, even for those not crazy about the non-traditional arrangements, the music still somehow resonates and begs for repeat listens. Maybe it has something to do with the pure viciousness of the guitars or the band's ability to maintain the tension level even when slowing down into dissonant stomps and sludgy rumbles. Either way, "Parasite" serves a purpose, even if that means nothing more than rattling the fillings out of your teeth.
There are many bands out there playing this insane style of extreme music, so it is not as though SYNT has reinvented the wheel. Groups like THE RED CHORD have already mastered the art of misdirection. Regardless, I am quite comfortable putting the boys in with some of the sub-genre's better carpet bombers. If it is 18 minutes of repeated kicks to the nut sack that you so desperately seek, then "Parasite" is your ticket to ride. Wear a cup next time though.