Review Summary: One of the most underrated listens ever. Check it out, you will not be disappointed. I know I wasn't.
Gatling is one of the most underrated bands out there right now. They don't have a recording contract and produce all of their songs at a home studio, mixing them themselves. However, these holdbacks doesn't stop the band from exploring nearly every genre known to man on their first official full-length release, "Hen In A Pumpkin." Every variety of music, from death metal to avant-garde to opera, is featured on this CD, often within the same song- this unpredictability keeps the disc fresh and also makes one of the most replayable albums I've ever heard.
Gatling recorded this with only two members (they have since added a bassist to their lineup). Despite being only a two-person band, both members are clearly competent multi-instrumentalists, confidently flipping from drums to guitar to bass to recorder to keyboard to melodica and back again. The only instrument that these two don't seem keen to experiment with on here are vocals, as aside from a scream on the six-second "Blast Pit," there are none to be found on this record. There are voice samples, however, which are used sparingly but add to the songs when they are utilized.
It's hard to describe this album without doing a track-by-track review, as every song is completely it's own entity, however, here are five of my favourites off the album:
Standout Tracks
2.
Space
The second track on the album begins with some space-y effects (funnily enough) and then goes into a very ncie delayed guitar riff. Before long drums come in and so does the bass. One thing I love about this band is that unlike so many others, the bass is full audible in the mix and is often doing something different than just following the guitars. Here, there are several great basslines prevalent, and even some slap bass.
3.
Grayscale
This comes right after Space and is a much faster-paced offering, at least in the beginning. A very quick guitar riff comes in at the beginning, with a frenetic drum beat backing it up. Then the song goes to one of the aforementioned voice samples. Then back to an oddly-timed heavy riff. Then to a completely different riff. After an absolutely heroic guitar solo, we are treated to a fantastic techno/funk section, with an electric guitar soloing over a bass that is also going wild. Electronic drums and space-y effects add to this part immensely. Then we go back to heavy, and the song ends off with another guitar solo. Fantastic.
5.
Psychotic Reaction
After track four ("Resonance Cascade" there are four very short offerings, three grindcore, and one ambient. This is my favourite of those four. It begins with a keyboard playing a weird line and then explodes into a heavy, drop-D guitar riff. A quick abss solo, and then:: BAM, A shredding solo. Then the keyboard line from the beginning played in reverse. All of this happens in 36 seconds. Grindcore at its finest.
9.
Carnival Bistro
This one starts with a voice sample of chickens in a coop wailing and then goes into a very cool guitar riff: almost circus-like, in a demented sort of way. Then there is a quick change into a trippy soft part, and then we go back to the heavy. A Buckethead-ish riff emerges here and then we're lulled into a relaxing ambient section... before being thrown back to Earth again by the original riff. Then comes one of the best guitar solos off the record. And then... opera? Yes, opera, people. OPERA. After that unexpected twist, we're thrown back into the heavy, with an oddly-timed riff played in the background, while a keyboard is pounded on and a guitar is shredding like crazy. This must be heard to be believed.
13.
B
This is one of the more avant-garde tracks off the album. It begins with a cool sound effect and then goes into a delayed guitar riff that is played very high on the fretboard. After this riff there is quick count-in and we here a 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-style riff. This plays four times and then goes into my favourite part about the song- the chorus. Featuring an awesome cymbal-driven drum beat, fast bass scales, and a great guitar line, this is one of the best moments off the whole album. It's a bit jazzy, a bit experimental, a bit loungey, a bit rockey, but above all, it's just fantastic. There's even a drum solo involving cymbal rolls towards the end of the song.
Those are just a few of my favourites though, as every song on this album is original and unique.
So that's about it. Am I overrating this album? Probably a bit. There are some minor production glitches on the album, and the song "1001010" feels a bit too short to me. It's great for the overall variety of the album, but it could have been expanded upon. However, I give this a five because it's one of the most re-listenable albums I've ever heard, all the songs are great in their own way, and I really think you should check this out on on iTunes, Amazon, and the like.
Positives
* Variety on the album is outstanding
* All the songs add something new too the album
* Instrumentation is, for the most part, perfect
* Bass playing is actually audible on here
* Good use of voice samples on this record
Negatives
* A couple of minor production glitches
* Recording quality could be better, though it's great for a self-produced and mixed album
* "1001010" feels a bit short
OVERALL: 4.1/5.0
