The driving first riff of opener "Baby Bird" sets the tone from the outset. There are no long, self indulgent, meandering intros. No prolonged attempts to wring the life out of any of the songs. Just a dangerously infectious succession of heavy, straightforward, pissed off grooves set around breaks that would be miserable downers if the slightly-slower-than-comfortable rhythm section didn't plough through it all so steadily. The huge, rumbling bass and the pounding, meat-and-potatoes drums don't allow the songs, or the listener, to stray. And the way the hook-laden noise rock guitar lines carry the enormous groove immediately and consistently shines.
Christian Lembach's entertaining vocal performance is a real highlight. He snarls, drawls and barks out some great lines drenched in tongue-in-cheek bitterness. His yell tempts its breaking point, and the scratchiness in his voice gives the songs both pointed ferocity and comedy.
Whores are deeply rooted in the Melvins, Unsane and Helmet schools of rock, but they really build on those influences to great effect. The sarcastic swinging rhythm of "I Am Not a Goal Oriented Person", which later churns under a single chord breakdown, a la "In the Meantime", is a great example...and catchy as all hell. Pissed Jeans could be another reference point, but Whores incorporate much more sludge, and the fantastic production of this recording brings all that heaviness to the fore. It seems strange to write this, but the final track, "I Am an Amateur At Everything" almost sounds like the bastard child of Future of the Left and Bongzilla. And it really works.
But enough with the facile comparisons. The point is, if you like no-nonsense noise rock that's heavy on the sludge, then Whores have delivered what you need.
Listen to Clean here.
lxp
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