Review Summary: GRIMACE 2.0
Applying what, I think, should always be the Split EP litmus test: does
Brothers In Christ make me want to listen to more music by THE
Brothers In Christ aka shiny new sludgy bois Nerver and Chat Pile? A: YES!
The Split has always been a frustratingly restrictive release format - sure, it plays a necessary fan-straddling function, essential for those making a name in the murky underground, but often inadvertently castrates the potential of the songs showcased via strict brevity. Working within that inherent limitation, this 4-track snippet of
filth does remarkably well to coalesce as an actual holistic experience. This is no mere peek through the keyhole; this is full-blown blood-splattered noise-rock catharsis; and the taste of iron is
intoxicating.
Columbia kids Nerver sound
hungry. Both their cuts are sharp, caustic and biting, skipping suspense and shooting straight for rage. Opener “Kicks in the Sky” is deliciously raw - all droning, groaning fuzz - whilst the closing (mental) breakdown on “The Nerve” culminates, somewhat befittingly, in the most satisfying climax I’ve had since 2022’s God’s Country. There’s more seamen than you’d think (I’m sorry) and certainly enough to justify having a go at the group’s seemingly overlooked sophomore outing,
Cash. Go. Do it! Shoo.
Oh contraire(!): band of the moment, Chat Pile, dial in some claustrophobic atmospherics on their side of the trench, quick fickle fury falling by the wayside in favour of big-boy sorrow. “King” and “Cut” are more “Pamela” than they are “Why”, soundtracking Raygun’s disheveled rasp with the band’s most considered and (ig) mature (ugh) instrumental performance to date - I just love the eerie, ghost-town melody that runs through “King”, cleverly distorted and mangled into oblivion as the track churns on and on and on. Despite the slower pace, it’s all very much of the same thematic and textural cloth as the broader LP experience: all blood, sweat, gore, and piss. Do both tracks feel just a bit too B-side-y? Probably - there are literally no surprises here, and the dark tall walls of the Split ultimately prevail - but I’ll not let that niggling feeling ruin an otherwise captivating retelling of the same real American horror stories.
And there you have it. More good music by two very good bands. Now be a good little boy and go raid their back catalogues, m’kay?
