Black Heart Blues,
3 Stages of PainImagine. No, not that daft song by John Lennon, but just imagine what would happen if a band came along and decided that they’d like to create a band which sounds like a mix of QOTSA’s self-titled album (in terms of some riffage), Soundgarden-esque strumming for the more melodic parts, a variety of other early 90s heavy metal bands, and a blending of any generic hardcore from the last 3 years or so. A band did do this, and called themselves 3 Stages of Pain. Does it work? Well, not really, no. Title track ‘Black Heart Blues’ is a perfect example of how this record is just the antithesis of what good heavy metal/hardcore should be; at fully 8 minutes long, it’s horrendously stretched and just far too empty to hold your interest for that amount of time. In fact, in took me until track 5 entitled ‘Thee Universe’ to find something I actually liked – a nice little distorted riff which could have come straight out of your favourite dark, murky video game. And picking out the occasional deity seems to be what listening to this record seems to be about as again on track 6 ‘6 Killer’ there’s a great riff mid-way through the track which really breaks things down excellently and is something this record should be doing a lot more of. It adds the variation that is so desperately needed because of the grinding nature of the material in general.
Length is often a real issue with this album. Even with tracks I enjoyed a little such as the previously mentioned ‘Thee Universe’, you’re expecting and nigh-on hoping for the end at least a minute before it arrives as you need to sink your teeth into something new. Succinctly put, a lack of what the band does well with the riffs is what prevents this album from rising above the dearth of generic hardcore around at the moment. No-one wants to spend hours in the desert searching for their musical oasis and the fact that the few redeeming parts of the album are spread so far apart in overly drawn out songs leaves you feeling just disappointed.
I wouldn’t say this record is a direct copy of anything out there at the moment, but that doesn’t make it a required purchase. Originality does not always equate to accessibility and/or enjoyment. The final track ‘Seconds Later (They Suddenly Die)’ is another embodiment of what is wrong here; lengthy, overly atmospheric noise in a genre which doesn’t welcome it per se. Unless you’re looking for something way off base in the heavy metal field, I’d recommend you steer well clear.
Spud
