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OH GOFUUUU- whoa okay. This record explodes from the very first utterance of shrill guitar dissonance that pierces the very spirit.  This is An Isle Ate Her’s, more affectionately referred to as “Anus Leather”, sophomore release and they aren’t fucking around. Yee-haw, Georgia-core!

This is a record meant to be dissected, but I don’t want to ruin all the surprises, so I’ll just touch on my favorite devices. First, wow, how the fuck do these guys count all of this? Between the barrages of tapping, hailstorm frequency blast beats, and wails of anguish from singer Chaz Bell it’s very difficult to tell when each song might take a big ‘ol “fuck you” 90 degree turn straight towards a pile of charred debris. As long as were sticking with metaphors here I’d say where the pile of smoldering scrap iron is your average copycat “highschool math-Djent whatever” band; An Isle Ate Her are the duke boys soaring, with unparalleled triumph, over the aforementioned wreckage in the trusty General Lee. Like I said, I dare anyone to try and anticipate the smothering chaos this record jerks your ears through. Equilibrium? Groove?  Throw ’em in the fucking waste basket, and don’t forget to close your eyes to completely induce the satisfying neck snapping action.

Songs are short for the most part, clocking in on average between one minute and three minutes per song. The fourth track, titled Landsraad, takes a moment to discover dynamic pause. But not complete pause, just a slight chill forth into (Track 5, titled Phrenia) some snare driven jazz that eventually decelerates into a demented ostentation of malevolent synthesizers. They aren’t afraid to use the pitch shifting either. This reminds me of one of the Earthbound scores just before Fourside transforms into it’s malicious counterpart: Moonside. I digress.

Any band that names a track after Dun Dorr, has my infinite comedic respect. Some call “irrelevant” song titles a contrived device, but any allusion to Tim and Eric gets a thumbs up from me.

Vocally, Phrenia reminds me of a adulterous blend of Blood Brothers, Mr. Bungle, and The Informant. The frantic enunciation further pushes the punishingly spastic riffs n’ beats through a tunnel of audible delusion and torment. Almost like a demented carnival ride catered toward “math metal” nerds. Glasses optional. Additionally, holy shit, Catt Mooper fucking abuses his snare harder than an iron willed gimp. I pity his sticks.

This is what Fred Phelps hears in his nightmares. I won’t spoil the climax, but it’s a doooooozy. Phrenia stands out as solid, mathy, frantic and full of despicable twists and turns. Two thumbs up!

I also just found out that these furious fuckers will open for Obscura, Abysmal Dawn, and Enfold Darkness on December 5th in HOTLANTA, GA:

Click here for a link to show’s the Facebook event.

Check out Phrenia, by Anus Leather, on their Bandcamp page!

– Jared Oates Haggard