Neighborhood Shit – “Disgust”
Neighborhood Shit is the Shit.
Not only are they one of the best bands from the Boston area- and not only are they a band that uses the best influences from punk, metal and hardcore (the genres we cover)- and not only are they upstanding gentlemen who help little old ladies (and little old men like Slimedog and Andy) across the street- before hurling them towards oncoming traffic- they also have the best underground site in the Boston area, known as “Original Local Collective.”
They book awesome shows, are an awesome band and they have their fingers on the pulse of what’s cutting edge in music, of which I and everyone else should learn from.
Unfortunately, their new album sucks.
Country rock versions of Norwegian death metal mixed with Bo Didley might look like a good idea on paper but it just doesn’t transfer to the big screen.
Okay, Mr. Bang has just entered my office and has advised me that my last two statements were utterly false and if he has to, he is prepared to pour scolding, hot coffee down my nostrils if I don’t cease and desist.
And though his threat is slightly appealing. as I’m feeling a bit sluggish today- I must be honest.
This is some pretty, great stuff full of intense growling, death vocals and grinding hardcore sounds. Where metal and hardcore meet- like two thunderous locomotives bearing down on each other-full of venom and aggression, passion and disgust, zoom and doom mixed together. Not to mention that the artwork by one of our best local artists, Amy Toxic, is awesome.
But don’t take my word for it. Put the needle to the record and let it spin, spin, spin.
“Disgust” starts with some doom-y chords and some ultra-trebly bass clanging. Then some in your face vocals come in full force, full of spite and velocity. The music comes together in one awesome assault of noise, aggression and pissed-offness. The gargled death/hardcore vocals reach for your throat as the music rips your guts up through it. This is a riot of sounds, a riot of emotions. This is hardcore in intention, this is hardcore in action, this in hardcore in intensity. This is hardcore hardcore.
“Home(sick)” starts with a buzzing bee guitar riff wrapped around a burbling rhythm of despondency, jackhammer-ing its’ intensity in a frustration, ready to explode. The guitar descends in firebombs of passion and power and despair. Until a breakdown, packed with clicked bass notes, doom-y beats, disemboweling chords and echo-y screams leads this song towards ecstasy or oblivion or both. Or perhaps to a holy place where great songs dirge and express. This is intense, this is euphoric, this is what your brain and ears yearn to feel and hear.
“We Are Not The Same” starts with some clangy bass and soaring guitar feedback until it locks into a killer metal groove. The vocals slice in with higher, black metal vocals that are met at the intersection by the killer riff. This tune chugs and chops and caresses in a way that may make you feel uncomfortable but is undeniably, true and raw and strikes at your heart. And what is represented is flawless, what is represented is hard and pure and true, and what is represented is great.
“Tis Of Thee…”- after many sound bites reflecting the disregard for the environment and general humanitarian thought from corporate America this sound explodes in righteous fury. This song churns is a burning, revolving cauldron of vitriol, energy, passion and volume. With this hard hitting treatise, that rocks hard with not only sounds but words as well, it gets my vote for best song on this EP.
Neighborhood Shit is the Shit because their hearts and minds are in the right places.
And because of this their fingers, arms and legs move to the right places, on their instruments, creating music which says the right thing and sounds more than awesome. Their music perfectly reflects the horror of the life the old have left them and their music screams and beats against the madness of a life in front of their eyes. A life they didn’t make but are forced to live in.
But in this I see hope, for this is a music with an intelligent passion behind it, that aligns itself with change, a change that, I believe, the young will bring forth, a change that they can taste, they can sense and will implement given the chance that will come to them, in time.
But for now can share some very potent, intense metal/hardcore/punk that moves musically in a direction you may want to follow- that moves lyrically in a direction you’d be wise to heed.
Their hearts and minds are moving their music to the right places.
Life is just lagging, a little behind.
(Slimedog)
