Like Bouncing Souls (only more NY hardcore), H2O are never as good on record as they are on stage, but Thicker than Water is better than a stick in the eye.
“My Balls” is a sweet ballad. Dreamy acoustic guitar tip-toes as Savage tells the wispy tale of having a disagreement with his balls. This is bizarre. I like.
Fall From Grace trudges through swampy emotions, all roads leading nowhere, all vegetation doomed in the end, the smell of slow-moving death at your heels.
The twists each song takes as it snakes its way through ravaged, desolate landscapes is extremely impressive. Norwegian black metal at its darkest core.
The relentless barrage of bleak symbolism and stylized squalor can get a tad wearying in a single sitting, but you’re unlikely to find better all in one place.