review - Generation Of Vipers' Grace

It seems, to me at least, that metal has hit a wall in the past few years. Popular taste has seen fit to champion shameful hybrids (I'm not so sure "metalcore" is any less appalling than "rap-metal"), and even beyond those shallow trends mediocrity holds sway. It could be, of course, that I'm simply finally growing out of my metal phase; my tastes have mellowed over the years, and Seasons In The Abyss doesn't find itself riding shotgun in my car as often as it used to. This can't be the problem, though, because I still get pretty enthusiastic about excellence in metal, and at no time is my genuine affection clearer than when I'm listening to the drony, epic soundscapes of bands like Isis and Pelican. These bands sacrifice the precision and speed of typical metal for hypnotic rhythms and expansive song structures, and the result is all the more blistering for the beauty and depth of vision that find themselves caught up in the sonic brutality of it all.

If Knoxville's own GENERATION OF VIPERS don't deviate significantly from the blueprint laid by those and other bands, it's because it serves them well, and they it: their debut LP Grace is a strong, remarkably excellent opening statement from a band that's obviously already at the top of its game. The record opens with ominous feedback swirling vulturously around forlorn acoustic guitar, and the tension builds dizzyingly with restrained drumming and gained-out screams of guitarist/vocalist Joshua Holt, finally finding release in a diabolically fuzzed bass. And then... the onslaught. An album like this can live and die by its production, and despite humble origins (it was recorded at home by the Vipers and Travis Kammeyer of Ocoai, then mixed by MiAH at the Sound Lair) the sound here is absolutely stunning. The guitars aren't at the forefront to the extent you'd expect, but every possible sonic inch is accounted for; the drums are particularly mighty, and seem to surround the listener hopelessly. The metal proceeds relentlessly through the rest of the seamless four track, 41 minute LP, offering only brief patches of respite, and the result is exhilirating, hypnotic, and absolutely epic.

RIYL: Neurosis, Isis, Jesu

MP3: head to their myspace site for a taste of Grace