EP REVIEW
JIM FEAR (Moot Records - MOOT001) 1.
BREAKFAST EPIPHANIES
Length: 14:31 (min:secs)
www.jimfear.com
Previous JIM FEAR Reviews:
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This is the second and last EP from the boisterous and vibrant Jim Fear to come our way - sadly since receiving this recording, poor old Jim died a violent and painful death in his sleep - choking on his intestines - and he is no more. But here are some fitting words to commemorate his last efforts: Opening with "Breakfast Epiphanies”, it's an awesome piece of discordant fearcore, with superb meandering bass lines, staccato lead guitars, screaming vocals and a path that is unknown - it comes together in a melody just for a split second before exploding outward shotgun style once again. At times very reminiscent of Chang or Beecher in a jazz infused Dillinger Escape Plan-esque mayhem soundburst. “Alcohol Will Tide Me Over Til Morning But Then I'm Screwed” begins with its almost military drum beat and rhythm, then turns almost psychedelic before breaking out into an ugly inharmonious noisecore - a splash of colour - it is based around a very mellow and well controlled rhythm that dictates the pace and mood of the song and manages to create quite a special ambience. The third song - “A Version” - attracts the only real criticism - the vocals on this track are at times quite painful. Let’s not dwell as the song is excellent and becomes a lot more experimental in it’s direction, almost avant garde, arty and jazzy [turns to camera] ‘NICE!’. There are periods in among the clouds that they just let rip but mainly it is very relaxed, controlled and with a melodic chorus. After a 6 minute gap there is a “(HIDDEN)” track which seems to be a soundtrack for the Quatermass experiment! Be warned, don’t take any hallucinogens and then listen to this - who knows which planet you’ll end up on. What was nice about this band was they didn’t write to a formula, they tried to write songs that pushed their personal abilities to the limit and tried to do something just a little bit different - they liked to mix styles and quite often it is not just metal, but many other styles - was it mentioned that there really is a strong jazz influence in there. Sometimes the music was wandering, floating in an atmospheric bubble and becoming a little progressive in style, other times it exploded into pure energy, while always maintaining composure of maturity and often building to a crescendo of battling guitars in a duelling rhythm. This band really deserves praise for writing songs that are challenging not only for themselves to play but for the people listening to them - they were not simply songs laid on a plate you may find you have to give some effort for a return. Hugely commendable and highly recommended - if only there were more bands like this - if only this one had stayed together - maybe lets wait and see what happens as surely this talent won’t be wasted?
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- Rigsby (14th
March, 2004) |
