Gnaw - This Face

Artist: Gnaw

Album: This Face

Year: 2009

Label: Conspiracy

Genre(s)/Style(s): noise, industrial, drone, industrial metal

Line-up:

Alan Dubin - vocals, synth

Carter Thornton - guitar, bass, piano, field recordings, homemade instruments

Jun Mizumachi - electronics, synth

Jamies Sykes - drums

Brian Beatrice - guitar, bass, electronics

Eric Nauser - drums, percussion

Track Listing:

1. Haven Vault - 4:25

2. Vacant - 5:03

3. Talking Mirrors - 3:46

4. Feelers - 7:34

5. Backyard Frontier - 7:21

6. Watcher - 4:51

7. Ghosted - 5:13

8. Shard - 8:47

9. Backyard Frontier (Reprise) - 2:16

Total playing time: 49:16

With Khanate's bitter end, a power vacuum arose and Khanate's true status was realized. Khanate changed extreme music. They took Earth, and Merzbow, and Pig Destroyer, and probably some good drugs, and made a most caustic tincture, one of fetid water and acid psychosis served in a moldy chalice. But then *poof*...nothing. Who would take the throne of musical extremity upon which Khanate had so firmly embedded its ass-cheeks? Whose crusty ass would remold the indentations left by the tremendous Khanate buttocks?

The past few years have consisted of a silent, unofficial war, a display of musical might. The battle to reclaim the throne is on, in full force. Plotkin moved on to his free-jazz-on-crack of Khlyst, while O'Malley jizzed out the illustrious Monoliths & Dimensions. Hell, even Justin Broadrick (Godflesh / Jesu) and Aaron Turner (of the late great Isis) took a swing at the lot with Greymachine. All have been vying for the status of being the next hot shit in extreme music. It seems though that Khanate vocalist Alan Dubin's new project -- dubbed simply Gnaw -- might be that next molten dookie nugget. In a good way.

Gnaw's line-up is borderline supergroup, most notably due to former Atavist drummer Jamie Sykes and Alan Dubin, whose (in)fame comes from his raunchy, psychotic vocalizations that beautifully plagued Khanate and Old Lady Drivers, and were, indeed, the aspect that stood out most about Khanate.What's more peculiar about Gnaw is its inclusion of a few unheard-of musicians: Carter Thorton, Jun Mizumachi, Eric Nauser, and Brian Beatrice -- musicians that even I haven't heard of (and neither have you, don't lie). Together, they conjure up some repugnant Whitehouse-esque noise with demolishing percussion and gnarled banshee vocals, and their abomination, This Face, executes fairly well.

The tracks are violent and remarkably accessible for noise music; and, dare I say, the album borders on being catchy at times ("Backyard Frontier", "Talking Mirrors"). One of the key things that separates this from the otherwise vapid noise scene is the percussion. Noise bands need more rhinoceros-like drum-bludgeoning; to be plowed by over by not only harsh metallic noise, but also the rattling cogs that move the machine into you. The album tends to avoid those dreaded Sunn O))) moments, save for "Shard", which drones away atop some rhinoceros drums and twisted voices floating here and there. It's a very appropriate, trance-like loop (grab the acid for this shit). Basically, This Face is engaging and dynamic, and a noise album! Incredible....

But really, the most important thing, and probably the only thing anyone paid attention to at first, is Dubin, who yells at you. And himself. Why? Because he's fucking nuts. His lyrics are minimal and cryptic (like Khanate), and, though really fucking weird and vague, are, well, deep...in an Alan Dubin sort of way. Look at the lyrics for "Vacant":

There's somebody out there

Right outside the door

You can hear the breath

You can hear them fucking

But no one's home in your head

And they all laugh

They're out there fucking

Just beyond the wall

You can hear them breathing

You can hear them fucking

They're out there

Just beyond the wall

You can hear them laughing

You can hear them laugh

But no one's home in your head

And they all laugh

They're out there fucking

Just beyond the wall

You can hear them breathing

You can hear them fucking

They're all out there just outside the door

You can hear them laughing

You can hear them laughing

Everybody's fucking

But you

See? There's even a twist at the end of this haunting tome. Now let's look at the lyrics for "Haven Vault"

They'll find my story

They'll find my shame

This was me...

My shame

Inside this little room

Stain the floor, with my shame

My shame

Inside this haven vault

The walls, my friend, my love

This was me...

My shame

Above this lovely cell

My drown goes round and round

Above

This was me...

My shame

Falling sick, my journey halts

My dream goes around and down

This was me...

My shame

Inside this little room

I'll leave my story on the floor

My shame

This was me...

Is it about suicide? Murder? Simply crying like a bitch? It makes you think. It sucks you into a world of confusion where you fabricate your own vicious, unforgiving reality -- the exact details are arbitrary, but misery is what's key. I wonder if this is how Dubin actually views reality.

This Face is a punishing and damn worthy endeavor, but isn't quite the proper ass to defile the Khanate cushion. While there are some fantastic fucking ideas that will help push noise / industrial music further, Gnaw's debut suffers from a general lack of flow from song to song. They're a series of scattered, underdeveloped (though fresh) ideas. These gripes and the album's sort-of shortness (I'm used to 60 - 70 minute songs of the this style for Christ's sakes) really do detract from the overall experience. Keep your eye on these guys though. Once they eat a bit more, gain a little weight, their ass should be fat enough to fit snugly into the mold where Khanate once sat (and defecated).

Final verdict: 80% - Solid, shows potential, but falls a bit short of the mark.

Try it. (mediafire / 192 kps)

Buy it @ Conspiracy Records: CD, black vinyl, or red vinyl