Abhinanda

Rumble (Revelation)
by Tim Den

This fucking rocks. Plain and simple. Ex-guitarist of Refused, drummer of Komeda (incredibly rhythmic Swedish pop band)… need I say more? Abhinanda‘s third full-length is one that’ll make you sweat, roar happily at its might, and wow at its daring moments. This is a rock’n’roll record of strange hybrids, but one that produces nothing but smiles in the end. Once in a while, you spot the Hellacopter-isms and the remnants of Shape of Punk to Come-era Refused, but then moments like the middle of “The Rumble” arrive and defy categorization. Mumbling cellos, guitar pickings that sound like electronic keyboards… then bam!, back to rock.

The band pulls this tasteful turn again in the next track, “Easy Digestion,” and it’s just as smooth and innovative-sounding as the first tune. On the rest of the tracks, Abhinanda lowers the unpredictable factor and lets loose a bit more, but never without elements of intrigue in either the time signatures or the guitar work. So as I stand in my living room doing the Guy-from-Fugazi dance (resembling a rag doll being thrown side to side, caught in the middle of a Southern gospel sermon) with a big fucking grin on my face, I stop from time to time to say “goddamn!” at the tricks these boys pull with their instruments. A superb combination of raw heaviness and challenging pit-inducers, Rumble is some rockin’ shit.
(12221 Beach Blvd. Apt. #4T Garden Grove, CA 92841)