Ed Gein, Bad Luck
To say that Syracuse, NY’s Ed Gein has had a string of hard breaks sing the 2005 release of their last album, Judas Goats & Dieseleaters, would be a bit of an understatement. The appropriately title Bad Luck sees the band re-emerging as a grinding force to reckon with after a series of unfortunate events — break-ins, break downs and break ups — that has only made them more focused and stronger.
Fueled by the fires of revenge and contempt for all those who had become obstacles, the band’s newer material is succinct, to the point and pissed off as hell. The guys have force fed elements of grind, noise, hardcore and more into the awaiting gullets of the masses with a straight-forward, no frills delivery. The eleven tracks on this 22 minute album will tear through you quickly and not-so-gently.
After the brief “Intro,” Bad Luck gets down to business with the raw, raucous and hardcore-charged grind hybrid that is “Wage Slave.” It’s an aggressive intro to the band’s updated sound, but don’t worry, those of you that enjoyed their older material will fully get into “The Wraith,” which has that more grinding influence last heard on Judas Goats… The drum work is unrelenting and pummeling as the guitars tear across your speakers with a caustic vibe. “Bullet Dodger” builds from staggered grind blasts to a more punk-influenced attack — it’s a hell of a song.
“Captain Shit,” “Into the Fire,” and “She Creeps” all explode out of the speakers with reckless abandon and a sludgy, textured buzz saw vibe to the guitars. “Captain Shit” ends strong like ox, as “Into the Fire” carries a more hardcore-like rhythm through it’s chaotic overall vibe and has a chorus that will have you all shouting along with the band in record time. “She Creeps” starts off violently with blasting drums before settling down a bit into a sludgy mosh. This trio of songs is fierce and full of vitriol. “Moth Collection (Into the Freezer)” carries the textures and rawness along from the previous three tracks, but has a different vibe to it as it gallops over your fractured skull with excellent drum work and staggered rhythms.
The last three tracks, starting with the furiously delivered “The Spectacle” round out the album perfectly. Both “VIPs” and “Wasted Life” are unrelenting in their aural abuse and will leave you itching for more once they’re complete. Ed Gein have been seething in anger the last six years and it comes out in full force on Bad Luck. It may not be an album for fans of their more metalcore-based, older material, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t some of their best material to date.