The Informant, Live Free. Die Free.
This four track EP from The Informant was produced by White Chapel’s Johnny Fay. I’m not sure if that’s supposed to give the album cred or anything, but I can tell you this Florida troop don’t quite have the beastial brutality that their producer’s band delivered on The Somatic Defilement.
What you can find on this disc is a chaotic take of spastic deathcore. Off kilter tempos and pummeling rhythms dominate Live Free. Die Free., but there are also some other elements (spoken vocals, sound effects) that give them a more unique sound. The dual vocal attack (one high, one lower end) work well together especially when layered over one another.
Garry Busey Is Out Of Control
The opening track opens with what sounds like a dude talking in a female voice with a southern accent, but I could be wrong. Shortly after, the band greets the listener with spastic, but heavy drum work, big riffs and the dual vocal attack. The chugging feel to this one is broken up periodically with drum blasts and tempo changes. The deeper guttural growls have a bit more impact, but work well with the higher range screams. The drums sound a little off to me, but what do I know.
A Town Down Wrap Around
“A Town Down Wrap Around” opens with layered screams and frenetic drums. The higher end screams are replaced periodically with a more post hardcore shout/scream approach that’s a nice change up from most deathcore stuff. There are also some nice gang vocal shouts that you can join in on.
Wet Ass
Chugging guitars and beefy drums accompany the layered vocals to get this one moving down a violent sounding path. There’s a nice slow down before a beefy breakdown at the 2:30 mark. The spoken vocals sound like the ramblings of a raving lunatic — I’m loving them. I’m also digging the thick bass rhythms that flow in the background of this one.
www.tfg.42
Besides having an interesting title, this track also has some of the beefier and more chaotic guitar work (see the 32 second mark) mingling with a variety of vocal deliveries. Discordant and slightly distroted guitars jump all over the place on this one. There’s a decent breakdown at the 1:40 mark that follows some production effects. The 2:39 mark sees a dramatic swing in the bands sound, shifting to a more melodic and emotional feel for a while before descending back into the churning mass of deathcore they’ve been shelling out so far.
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The Informant take a shot at branding deathcore with their own unique elements. The band is still young and their chaotic take on the genre is refreshing, but they have a few wrinkles on the EP that a few years under their belt will help iron out. I’m definitely looking forward to more from these guys.
Favorite Tracks:
All of them
Additional Notes:
N/A