January 2021 Feature Release - The Revolution Edition

So we've now managed to rid ourselves of the pathetic excuse for a year that was 2020 which of course means that we'll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we're asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. We're really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our chosen releases so don't be shy.  

This month's feature release for The Revolution is 2002's final studio release from legendary Washington mathcore outfit Botch (entitled "An Anthology of Dead Ends"). I was absolutely blown away by the band's 1999 sophomore album "We Are the Romans" several months ago & have been keen to explore some of the band's other material ever since so it'll be interesting to see how I feel about this equally important E.P.

https://metal.academy/releases/1729

I did my review, here's it's summary:

Botch was a chaotic metallic hardcore band like no other. Their chaos is more controllable and never annoying, it's systematic chaos! This EP has concluded the band's career in a mind-blowing ending. There's a chill of mathcore magnitude in An Anthology of Dead Ends! A lot of anger could be found in the 4 songs that are 3 to 4 minutes long, and a bit of mellowness especially in the 7-minute epic "Afghamistam". All of the song titles are each named after a different country, but all the N's are replaced with M's. Not quite creative naming, but it works. If you're a hardcore fan like I am, you should totally get this EP. I was prepared for that sonic assault, yet still surprised more than any other band. It might sound mellow and restrained, but it sounds great with all that maturity and inspiring emotion mixed with the usual chaos. A great mathcore swansong! Botch is gone but shall remain #1.....

4.5/5

"An Anthology Of Dead Ends" is really just the five tracks totaling roughly twenty-two minutes in duration with a 14 second intro piece that might as well be a part of the second track. (In fact I see very little reason to separate "Spaim" other than to create another silly song title with a country's name misspelt with an "m" in place of the "n".) It is however an incredibly well composed, executed & compiled piece of art in every sense with stunning musicianship & a precision production job that allows all of the instruments to breathe beautifully. Perhaps it's just the fact that it's a touch less chaotic & the intensity isn't quite as relentless that sees it falling a little short of its older sibling "We Are The Romans" which I regard as the pinnacle of the mathcore subgenre.

 If you want to be technical about it you could argue that this isn't purely a mathcore release as I'd suggest that only two of the five proper tracks fall into that category. "Japam" & "Micaragua" sit more comfortably under the traditional metalcore tag in my opinion while the laidback seven minute centrepiece of the album "Afghamistam" is pretty much alternative rock only with some wonderfully executed rhythmic complexity that will likely pass over many people's heads if they're not paying close attention. David Verellen's vocals often remind me of Pantera's Phil Anselmo's screamier moments & there are a few bouncier riffs that almost hint at a Rage Against The Machine influence & this all makes for a very interesting listen however only "Vietmam" & the crushingly cerebral & noise-laden closer "Micaragua" manage to reach classic status for me personally.

While I can't say that this E.P. blows me away in quite the same way as "We Are The Romans" did, it's still a very solid release & a fitting way to end a short but captivating career.

4/5

P.S. I'll be interested to see what saxy thinks of this one as I get the feeling that it might not repulse him as much as other mathcore releases do.

It's pretty amazing that a band like Converge can release Jane Doe in September of 2001 and be heralded as the GOAT of mathcore, yet Botch can come along just over a year later with this EP and invoke the same critical reception.

As I have mentioned many times before, mathcore is not my specialty. Something about the irrationality of it all and how none of it sticks together just leaves me feeling empty after hearing it. But some groups can make it work: Converge from Axe to Fall and beyond, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Rolo Tomassi and Botch would probably fall into that category. The guitars are given prominent roles as a melodic instrument throughout as Dave Verellen's vocals are allowed to be as punishing and relentless as possible. The compositions are fluent as well; "Japam" and "Vietmam" are structured well and do not fee like an amalgamation of four/five ideas lumped together without a through line. 

I will say that the cathartic release that I felt following the buildup from "Afghamistam" into the first half of "Miciragua" was impressive, but the song "Afghamistam" on its own doesn't feel like it belongs here. It's a decent cut and a great way to show off the groups capability to play slow and atmospheric, but the runtime is a detriment and is not as developed as the albums heavier moments.

I feel like this EP is much more in the realm of mathcore that I can appreciate for its songwriting prowess alone. The production does help also, but it is the overall connectivity that makes these tunes resonate as actual pieces of music that I can listen to and enjoy rather than as a mosh pit anthem. An Anthology of Dead Ends is hardly my favourite in this niche subsect of mathcore, but there was an effort put forward and it did pay off.

7/10