Minors
Abject Bodies
---originally published by Lambgoat---
In 2017 Windsor, ON’s Minors released their brief but
powerful debut, Atrophy. The album was a speaker-blowing fusion of
chaotic hardcore and filthy sludge. Minors
blasted through eighteen minutes of frenetic riffs, bleak tones and piercing
feedback, carving out their own niche in the world of hardcore.
On Abject Bodies,
the four piece have reeled themselves in a bit, giving the songs a more focused
sound. Don’t get me wrong; Minors
certainly haven’t toned down their style of frantic mayhem, but on their second
album the group appears to be more dialed into the song writing process. The tracks move more fluidly, pivoting
between sections with greater ease.
The grungier side of Minors has also become more
apparent. After the bleak instrumental
opening track, “Consumed” finds the band grinding through a furious opening
section before dropping off into a pounding crawl. The swampy second half, with its lethargic
minimalism and scratchy screams, is a clear nod to Sludge Metal pioneers
EyeHateGod. In fact, almost the entire
first half Abject Bodies plays out
similarly. Both “Meanderist” and
“Boneyard” rip through Converge-like tumult while slowing down for their
closing sections. While “Meanderist”
unravels into a wall of dissonance, “Boneyard” soars into a sort of Post-Metal
dirge, clearing the path for Abject
Bodies doomy conclusion.
The albums first five tracks make up a combined sixteen
minutes of playing time, but the final thirteen are reserved for the last pair
of songs. While Minors spent Abject Bodies first half pummeling out a
sense of inescapable claustrophobia, they flip the script for the second
half. “Erode” and “Garden Of Dismalism”
see the band stretching out, exploring darker atmospheric textures. The slow, deliberate nature of these tracks
explode into Neurosis-esque blares; dark voids that march the album to
completion.
Bottomline: I believe that Abject Bodies will be a pivotal moment in Minors music. This album sees a band expanding their sonic
depths while discovering their unique sound.
Minors - Meanderist - Abject Bodies
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