Yesterday I introduced Carrion, a metal trio from the Washington, D.C. area that I booked in West Virginia in the early 2000s. Carrion's first EP Baptized By Fire introduced the band's harsh, rousing style that fuses together elements of metal and punk in bands like The Jesus Lizard, Fugazi and Mastodon. To follow up 2002's Baptized By Fire, Carrion released a pair of seven-inches and then 2003's full-length album The Crime of Idle Hands. Here is a review from Aversion Online:
I had no clue what to expect from this, but I like it. I don't really know how to describe it other than the fact that it's very rhythmic, at times sludgy, at times hectic, at times a little quirky, and it would fit in fairly well with some of the bands onAt a Loss, or portions of Relapse's current roster (Mastodon, Burnt by the Sun, and such). It's not really as aggressive as those bands can be, nor does it sound like them in large part, but it's cut from similar cloth so to speak. The vocals are dry shouts, the percussion is fucking sweet and drops a lot of interesting patterns and aptly flashy fills, there's a certain controlled discordant noisiness happening, and the songs definitely pack some punch. Some of the tracks get into some math rock or post-hardcore influences, while a couple of technical Cynic styled alternate picking riffs pop up here and there - but way dirtier, played in the band's Black Flag-ish sort of swagger. "Worship" has some calm passages with throbbing basslines and lightly distorted guitars, taken further by the awesome instrumental "Window Out of Solitude", which uses even less distortion on the guitars and is more blatantly melodic without sacrificing creativity or slight complexity. "Gongs of Violence" has some traditional metal riffing and a standout gallop to the tempo, coming as a bit of a surprise. The recording's pretty damn good. The guitar tone has a shitload of texture, the vocals are well placed, I absolutely love the sound of the drums (resonant and 100% natural), the bass is dense, etc. I'd like to hear them up the bass just a smidge, and some of the clearer guitar parts could do without that extra jaggedness around the edges, but by and large everything is about where it needs to be. I really like the lyrics because they're vague but interestingly handled and certainly pointed: "As we identify these fragments of identity the quicker we unravel the fabric of reality a tapestry of flesh to mingle with our own to be enmeshed in what we have sown there is no turning back there is no reversal all that we can hope is to arrive where we stand..." This is a cool CD. It's a consistent listen, but there are a lot of different angles at work that give numerous tracks their own individual identities without separating from the larger umbrella that represents the band's direction.Unfortunately Carrion moved on to new things soon after the release of Idle Hands, including guitarist/singer Nick Skrobisz's current project The Wayward. If you like the Carrion material, very limited quantities of hard copies are still available via Nick at mormonwarlord@yahoo.com.
Artist: Carrion
Album: The Crime of Idle Hands
Year: 2003
For Fans Of: The Jesus Lizard, Fugazi, Mastodon
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