review from plague haus
http://www.plaguehaus.com/home/2012/10/08/the-vomit-arsonist-go-without/More and more my reviews seem to begin with reasons why I rarely write them anymore, so I'll continue that trend. As public outlets become more readily available to anyone who chooses to call themselves an artists, it becomes a Herculean task to separate the wheat from the chaff. After awhile it all runs together, this weeks favorite takes it's place at the bottom of the pile, possibly never to be heard again or recycled through some secondary emporium. The Industrial/Noise/PE genres are as guilty as most, possibly tying Metal for sheer per week volume of release. For me, one that continues to rise above the din is The Vomit Arsonist, choosing the path of quality over quantity.
It's been roughly three years since the last full length, with a handful of splits and EP's in between. While never having been accused of being a ray of sunshine, "Go Without" is more dark and oppressive than most of the previous output, and I mean that in the best possible way. According to the man behind the curtain, Andrew Grant (who also runs the Danvers State Recordings label as well as being half of the PE duo Bereft), the album was influenced by the play and recently a film written by Cormac McCarthy, "The Sunset Limited". I rented the film myself on Grant's advice and was completely blown away. The entire thing is basically Mr. Black, played by Samuel L. Jackson, debating Mr. White, played by Tommy Lee Jones, on the existence of God, human suffering and why Mr. White should continue living after Mr. Black intercedes on his suicide attempt. It's extremely powerful and I definitely feel the connection in this work. The track "The Futility Of Life" even includes a sample of the film. I will let the listener take a wild guess on which side of the line the album sits.
One of the things I appreciate most about Mr. Grant's work is his ability to blend melody within the typical harsh, Power Electronics song structure. Beneath the metallic rhythms, strains of feedback and shouted vocals is an eerie beauty. He's like the Doom Metal equivalent to PE. This doesn't apply to all of the tracks, there are some that are more akin to in your face aggression, but still maintain that simmering just below the surface quality I've come to know and love from VA. Let's face it, virtually anyone can thump a bunch of effects pedals and scream, but it takes a bit of thought to construct a song.
In my mind there are a handful of American acts that continue to blur the lines between Death Industrial and Power Electronics as well as push the boundaries of both: Bereft, Steel Hook Prostheses (member John Stillings mastered this release), Navicon Torture Technologies/Theologian. The Vomit Arsonist of course fits snugly into this group. It's one of the few projects I look forward to hearing from and will continue to follow. Listen and judge for yourself.
