Review Summary: Imagine Mastodon's Blood Mountain with a hardcore twist. Oh, and not shitty.
With
Blood Mountain, Mastodon entered new territory. I'm told they broke new ground. That isn't true.
Mastodon took their sludgy foundation, cleaned it up a little and, rather than the using an interesting concept like the ones found on their first two albums (okay, Remission wasn't exactly a concept album), they scuffed their music up with an embarrassingly lame story.
Blood Mountain was a shi
tty album, full of drumming that didn't fit, short songs that seemed to drag and a hilariously stupid concept. These factors combined, apparently, made Mastodon a progressive metal band. I'd argue that it made them lame, but now we're jumping into synonyms and that's when it all gets confusing.
Light Pupil Dilate kind of sound like Mastodon. Old, good Mastodon. Don't get it twisted; they're not a copycat band, but it's a pretty safe comparison to make. Maybe it's the Leviathan-like production, the similar vocals or the fact that two of their members did preproduction work on
Blood Mountain. More likely, however, is the idea that maybe the comparison stems from wishful thinking.
From the get go, you'll notice that the vocals and drums hold the strongest comparisons to Mastodon. The drums are rhythmic and intense, obviously not unlike Brann Dailor, though unlike Brann, the drums serve as a propulsive force rather than a self-serving pat on the back. The vocals typically take a dual approach, alternating between harmonised yells and deeper shouts; though don't be surprised to hear some cleaner sung passages that add a grungy intonation into the mix.
After a listen or two, you'll notice that while certain comparisons are apt, the two separate themselves in their foundation. While they both similarly lay on the distortion, Light Pupil Dilate use their [post-]hardcore appropriately, even though it's been slightly downplayed since their debut.
That leads to the positives. What this band brings to the table –other than their stupid name, stupid song-titles and stupid album name- is their understated blend of several sounds. They carefully mix post-punk, post-hardcore, sludge metal and ol' fashioned rock and roll, a formula they seem to have down to a tee.
And that, the formula, leads to the negatives.
This album lacks a selling point.
Snake Wine comes without any real standouts. Rather formulaic in its otherwise solid foundation, you basically know what you're getting after a song or two. The guitars are heavily distorted, and often times you'll hear the bass taking a lead while the guitars keep crushing; a nice change from the typical "I play bass so I can show up drunk and hit root notes" approach. Amidst all the rhythmic syncopation you'll hear textured guitar work, evoking the bands love for Helmet and Fugazi. But in the end, it's kind of the same thing over and over.
Snake Wine brings an interesting sound to the table, reminds you of some great bands that put out shi
tty albums in the last few years and, in short, sells themselves short by playing it safe. Obvious comparisons to Mastodon aside,
Snake Wine uses some interesting angles that set them apart from the masturbatory prehistoric "prog rockers". While the chaotic and groovy drumming is perhaps the greatest highlight, the album succeeds by providing consistently good music but fails at going the extra mile.
