Mangled – “Demo”
One of my favorite locals bands is The Manglers. And they are a cover band, but to my ears, the best kind of cover band.
But not exactly, as that would really be an all-male tribute band to The Spice Girls- The Spice Boys, perhaps?
I would just eat that up with a fork and a spoon! No appetizer needed.
The Manglers cover early punk classics by Iggy & The Stooges, The Dead Boys, The Dictators, Johnny Thunders and many more and they do it quite well.
And by that I mean they’re sick- not well! Just trying to stay with the current vernacular.
And as you probably guessed, none of this has not a bit to do with the band Mangled which I will correct, shortly.
Mangled is a great local band that describes themselves simply as hardcore, which is accurate, but I hear a lot of awesomeness in their style and songs, as well- I mean, as sick!
The definition of mangle: Severely mutilate, disfigure or damage by cutting, tearing or crushing.
That’s a pretty cool definition- I mean, that’s stupid, which I know now, actually means good.
And this definition fits their style of music which aggressively, dismantles all the niceties of musical presentation and cuts clear to the bone. That tares away at safe expectations of sounds and crushes ones’ ears with a ferocious, fearless onslaught of venom, noise and power.
Their tags read- punk, crust, grindcore, hardcore and thrash.
My tags for them read- passionate, powerful, awesome, destructive pure slabs of sound that annihilate your vital organs to sawdust.
My tags for them, also read- music you don’t want to cross paths with, late at night, in a dark alley.
And now that I’ve mangled the first part of this review. Let’s actually, listen to their music. Trust me folks, it can only get better from here.
After some guitar feedback, “Mangled” begins like a Jimi Hendrix live take from ’69. Once the songs kicks in though, we’re met with a sustained vocal bellow as the guitars grind and groan in minor key doom-iness. The beat chops hard like an over-caffeinated butcher slicing up a steer. This song is passionate and powerful, pulverizing your senses- pinning them with a propulsive, propulsion against an uncompromising wall of pure sound.
Starting with feedback, much like most current power violence, “Perpetual Conflict” erupts into a fiery, rocking four chord garage/punk riff. The vocals scream and holler in an emotional refrain that ends with death growl. More than worth while for your thirty-nine seconds of spent time.
Amidst some chaotic feedback “Born Into Flame/ Exit From Despair” ( What a great title!) quickly slides into a headbanging groove that then soon accelerates into thrash with growly hardcore vocals. The second part of this song had feedback leading into some potent doom/gloom music and then, runs passionately forwards again. I look at it as two great songs for the price of one.
“Buried Deep Within/Threshold Of Life” is only fifty-one seconds long. Which, is an unusual length of a song that contains two titles. But after some more feedback and an anxious- “knock, knock, knock”- played by the drummer. This song soon ignites like the second a mosh pit explodes. Intense, guttural hardcore/death vocals match the intense, unrelenting beat along with formidable, flaming guitars. Some nice thrashy guitar playing, some nice “in your face” vocals. And a rhythm section that takes no prisoners while kicking mighty ass. And what you’re left with, after all the aural destruction, is simply, a really, great song.
Mangled belongs in the (band) camp of bands that are doing music on the cutting edge of the bands that I cover. Or tearing or crushing edge, as sick. Meaning, if you’re drawn to bands that are playing power violence, d-beat or grindcore I feel you should find a place, if not in your heart, then at least in your ears for them.
I know I have and my ears can’t stop thanking me.
And if your ears are eager to wander, late at night, into music places and styles that they may not be safe in- Well, this might just be the place that they might hang out, linger, congregate, so to speak.
My ears tell me that my mind writes a lot of foolish things.
But my ears also tell me, that they know, what they hear from Mangled- is awesome.
(Slimedog)
