Review Summary: New Erections is the sign of a band who has always showed potential beginning to progress exponentially.
From the beginning, The Locust have always juxtaposed genres in such a way that it never seemed contrived, and it never seemed too outlandish or, on the flip side, bland. However, the beginnings of The Locust were not the most forgiving. Endowing their synthesizers with a profound malevolence, The Locust oftentimes found ways to grate the listener's ears. Whether this irritation be brought on by meandering songs, overly rough production, or the almost forced chaos depended on the particular composition one listened to. It seemed that The Locust needed some time to think about their sound, and, for four years, they did. Now, The Locust are brought to the apex of modern metalcore with their latest release,
New Erections.
Beginning with “AOTKPTA”, the bestial approach to music is still evident. The sci-fi noise is still a staple to their songs, and so is the chaos. However, the way this all is approached is far superior than it used to be. “AOTKPTA” uses a peculiar, intriguing start-stop method before unveiling the vocals which have improved tremendously. The screams have become less inconsistent and have evolved into some raucous brand of enjoyment. This newfound vocal styling also melds aptly with the instrumental side of The Locust's sound.
“We Have Reached An Official Verdict: Nobody Gives A ***” balances off-kilter rhythms and discordance nicely. The spastic nature of this song is similar to their roots, but better in every way, shape, and form. This is partly due to the amount of transitions in the song. The musical focus is always changing here, just as it is on “Slum Service (Served On The Sly)”. This track can be summed up as an improved version of their older tracks. Chaos is met with an adept sense of eclecticism that, unlike other tracks, never fails to impress.
The extremely slow section towards the end of “AOTKPTA” is rather annoying and seems to be contrived. There are a crop of these slow-paced sections on this album, and they almost always detract from
New Erections. Ambient sections also come across as forced. While very nice, they just seem to be added in to add them in. If these inclusions were placed more accurately, they would tremendously approve this great album.
Spastic, intense, and noisy,
New Erections rarely disappoints, but does come with some faults. The electronic aspects of the music are stronger than ever; the drums are marvelous; and the songs are always interesting. The tracks always include several musical ideas rather than fixating on one. For the most part, their inclusion is suitable, but there are moments that to take away from the music. Without these minor faults,
New Erections would be a superb effort on the part of a band who has always showed promise, and is now applying it.
