An industrial black metal mindset laden with despair propels the malignant madness audible from Gnaw’s debut nine-track affair THIS FACE. This unconventional quintet (featuring members from avant garde metal troupes Khanate and Burning Witch) unloads an hateful assortment of non-linear noise rock, soul crushing doom, and exploratory electronics to create an eccentric and possessed sonic explosion. Led by a vocalist whose screeching rage fuels insanity (”Backyard Frontier”) while the band’s two bold sound designers create a cacophony of sound by implementing barrages of haunting feedback and gloomy overlays (”Ghosted,” “Talking Mirrors”), this unsettling endeavor emits an apocalyptic feel of being caught in the middle of the world crumbling down. www.conspiracyrecords.com -Mike SOS
“This Face”, is not nice at all – in fact it is so intense that its 50 minutes are hard to take in in one sitting. Dubin’s signature vocals – that hoarse screaming known from Khanate – rule Gnaw’s sound, but there are quieter passages as well, in which he actually sings. What sets “This Face” apart from Khanate and the majority of doom and metal acts running at the moment, however, is the highly unusual inclusion of electronics into their tracks’ arrangements. “Vacant” juxtaposes Dubin’s vocals, abrasive guitars and twisted electronics to mind-bending effect. Elsewhere, the group lose their sense of direction somewhat: “Feelers” still has all the elements mentioned but they don’t really add up but remain isolated. And the tipsy-turvy doodling of “Watcher” is full of effects, which makes it unusual but also strangely disengaging: As a composition, it remains rather pointless. That said, such might be the price to pay when operating beyond the ordinary. Ultimately, “This Face” is an album that commands respect but is difficult to love. 7/10 – Jan-Arne Sohns (16 June, 2009)
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