Mixing the savage rage of The Code Is Red with the angular and experimental sounds of the underrated Diatribes, there’s never a dull moment on Smear Campaign.
Kitty delivers deliberate and cutesy vocals like The Dickies’ Leonard Phillips, but without his girlie warble. “Matter of Time” deserves a review all its own.
It’s taken years for people to decide Dance of Death wasn’t so hot and Brave New World was good. Most are putting this with Brave New World, and I agree.
Both beautifully orchestrated quirk-pop with a soaring female vocal, and a trip-hop and world music-inspired Morrissey drowning in over-clever verbosity.
The compositional/functional/found-noise/skronking guitar hum and hollering/bewildered singing are intact. Everything’s sharper, tenser, and wound tighter.
Perhaps the greatest Viking metal band of them all, Amon Amarth present us this three-DVD set featuring five full concerts plus additional backstage material.