Review Summary: This band crafts interesting tidbits here and there, but riddles these interesting bits with music that is far too bland or rehashed to be as abnormal, or as excellent as they desire to be. And therefore this band holds little to no lasting value.
Anyone who has ever read “The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde” knows the tale of Gabriel John Utterson, and they also know about his quest to uncover the details of the relation between his long-time friend, Henry Jekyll, and the evil, secretive, misanthropic Edward Hyde. Through help of recurring characters (the aforementioned characters, Dr. Lanyon, and others), the lawyer slowly discovers that the notorious criminal Edward Hyde is also Henry Jekyll. Soon after, Hyde dies and subsequently, so does Jekyll; and eventually, all loose ends are tied. However, throughout all of the events that happen during this novella, the main theme is an exploration into the darker side of humanity, manifested inside of a sociable character. This is where Iwrestledabearonce comes in.
You see, Iwrestledabearonce dabbles in the brash, quirky, abrasive elements of extreme musical genres like grindcore, death metal, and mathcore. And whilst this eclectic hodgepodge of musical ideas should come out as an extremely provocative musical arrangement, its execution comes out quite the opposite. Despite their transethnic approach to aural assault, their execution is more mediocre, bland, and just not all that interesting. However, the band does occasionally venture into the territory of jazzy progressive rock, or trance music, and it is here where their music peaks, and the interest of the listener peaks as well. In a way, they alter their physical manifestation from boring, to meandering yet enigmatic in the same way the two opposite personae did in the aforementioned literary work. So why is this?
Well, tracks like “You Ain't No Family” start out rough, and subsequently start the album off on the wrong foot, with simplistic and irritating guitar notes against low pig squeals and guttural vocal work. The drums in these scenarios (because there are plenty more than just this one occurrence) are stable, and do nothing all too interesting. And due to all of these elements of this particular track, the listener is apathetic towards the musical direction of the arrangement. That is until the clean vocals come into play, an electronic interlude comes in and piques the listener's interest, and then a bluegrass-inspired part comes into action. Other tracks like “Tastes Like Kevin Bacon” similarly start off roughly, and then become more interesting along the way as dance interludes come into the aural mix, and the several lounged-out interludes that Iwrestledabearonce crafts become evident. “White Water In The Morning” is wholeheartedly bland however, just like “Eli Cash And The Godless Savages,” the latter of which which follows a grindcore-based path before changing focus to a samba beat. Not only does this inclusion destroy all momentum this song may have had, but the transition is almost entirely absent and mind-jarring; this leads to a rather generic listen. Inappropriate usage of breakdowns also acts as a hindrance to the music itself because, rather than heightening the intensity of the music, the inappropriately placed breakdowns make the surrounding aural assault fall plague to blandness. But with all of these cons so similar to Edward Hyde's persona, where does the good of Iwrestledabearonce lie?
Well, the positive aural aspects of Iwrestledabearonce can be found on “Pazuzu For The Win,” where breakdowns are used effectively, thought-provoking riffs are crafted, and the eclectic elements never seem contrived, leading to an overall enjoyable listen. “Danger In The Manger” is a technical mathcore feat featuring extremely catchy vocals and a jazz interlude, again, never seeming contrived. “The Cat's Pajamas” is also a highlight, as Krysta Cameron shows her knack for singing, and a breakdown is used in a way that isn't completely abrasive towards the ears. But overall, the positive aspects are not enough to overcome the negatives, and thus they even each other out, creating a subsequently average listen.
Though ever so irritating, Iwrestledabearonce show promise on occasion. Their spasmodic tendencies show potential, but their generic tendencies show that they're not all the way there yet. When a listener isn't bored by the music here, they'll either be wondering why the band seems to be weird just to be weird, or noticing that this band seems to be heavily similar to several of their contemporaries whilst attempting to be abnormal in nature. And when they do create something worthwhile, they transfer their music into something generic and bland before coming onto another interesting musical idea. This all leads to an inevitable fate of both the disc and the personae dying, as one or two listens on this album is enough.
FINAL RATING: 2.6/5-This band crafts interesting tidbits here and there, but riddles these interesting bits with music that is far too bland or rehashed to be as abnormal, or as excellent as they desire to be. And therefore this band holds little to no lasting value.
