The Five Deadly Venoms

Shapeshift (Thick)
by Tim Den

This is as atonal and Midwest post-hardcore as you can get. Big, warm drum sound topped off with Led Zeppelin rock beats and off times; open chords with aggressive, hidden melodies within; and vocals that sound like a higher pitched (and more annoyed) Jason from Samiam. Most of the time, The Five Deadly Venoms rock out heavily and bruise your ears with their angular melodies, but sometimes they sneak little dynamics in there too, dipping in and out of the “soft-to-loud” formula.

The singing gets frustrating at times, mostly because the melodies sound forced. It’s not a fault, however, seeing as the band plays nothing but contorted riffs and tone-deaf chords. I just think maybe the vocalist should scream a bit more and stay off trying to sing with the chaos. Or maybe instead of getting in the way of the singer, the band could lessen their cacophonous nature a bit. All in all, it’s an ass-kicker of an aggressive record. Look no further if you crave a Midwest-transplanted Rites of Spring.
(409 N. Wolcott Ave. Chicago, IL 60622)