Tags
ab, adozentorsoswithinspittingdistance, album, bandcamp, elmwoodtownhallrecords, facebook, lambslegs, milwaukee, mountainlanguage, music, new, newmusic, noise, preorder, punk, review
By Davey Boom
I was unfamiliar with Lamb’s Legs before I heard their newest album, A Dozen Torsos Within Spitting Distance. I was pleasantly surprised to hear rich, melodic bass amidst the nihilistic panorama of a desolate-as-space guitar, detached vocals of spoken word and howling desperation alongside pounding toms and snares.
The album starts off with Taklamakan; a sludgey echoing verse, ‘Don’t choke. Don’t choke. Don’t choke!’ The chorus rises like Osiris, intoning reminiscent of NoMeansNo’s frontmen. Bassist Peter J. Woods showcases his talent for taking control of a space and filling it with manic goodness.
Shades of Mr. Bungle’s Disco Volante keep tickling the edge of my ears during The Flaying Song. Singer Bjorn Severtson’s delivery switches starkly between wailing insanity to maniacal cockiness to impassively- spoken narration — and then back again. A trip into a world beyond navigation, stark and barren, roiling with dark clouds threatening storm.
Knee Jerk bounces around the padded walls of its room, slamming its head in time with the self-destructive beat – but ultimately kept on a short leash by a sweet bassline hook. It feels like Les Claypool met with guitarist John Schmersal of BR41N14C (listen to Bonsai Superstar if you’re not yet initiated into the cult of BR41N14C), took some acid together and recorded in a mental ward.
I Want to Believe (my favorite) takes on another form entirely, kicking immediately into a frantic riff-driven overdrive. The bass and guitar intertwine into a Tool tribute, while the singer bops and tics underneath. Severtson is smoking in some leaky basement, naming who is and isn’t involved in the celebrity and political Saurian invasion. Have you seen Chris Christie devour a child whole? He’s clearly up to the task. Look at those jaws. The final seconds of the song features a beautiful interplay between Kevin DeMars’ drums and Woods’ bass – highlighting the talent and connection of the rhythm section of Lamb’s Legs.
We finish with Glam’s Baes, a tripping and echoing 80’s New Wave prog-emo triumph; a reflection about purity, death, and finally closing ones eyes and being consumed by the earth.
The whole album is a toxic trip over a ragged landscape, full of beautiful deserts and dangerous cliffs. There’s a haunting balance between the absolute starkness of Jeb Ebben’s guitars and Severtson’s vocals to the attack of DeMars’ drums and Woods’ bass.
It’s absolutely worth checking out at http://lambslegs.com/ to get a sneak preview of the album and preorder for its release on May 13th.
https://www.facebook.com/lambslegs
Lamb’s Legs is a noise rock band from Milwaukee, WI. A Dozen Torsos Within Spitting Distance will be released on May 13, 2016. This will be a split release between Elmwood Townhall Records who are releasing the album digitally and St. Louis’s Nova Labs who are putting it out on CD.
Lamb’s Legs is Kevin DeMars – drums, vocals; Peter J Woods – bass guitar; Jeb Ebben – guitar, vocals; Bjorn Severtson – vocals.
The band has previously released two EPs, Drinks Bats Milk (2012) and Summer of Lamb’s Legs (2013), both on Elmwood Townhall Records and available at lambslegs.com