January 2021 Feature Release - The Sphere 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 Sphere is 2020's fourth album "Shame" from New York industrial metallers Uniform. The duo has been steadily improving with each release over the first five years of their recording career & "Shame" sees them taking their noise rock inspired sound to arguably its most impressive level yet. There's a lot more to industrial metal than just the big name players like Godflesh & Ministry so we'll be interested to hear your thoughts on one of the genre's brightest new players.
https://metal.academy/releases/23461
I thoroughly enjoyed this feature release. I hadn't actually heard Uniform before I started putting together the monthly "The Sphere" Spotify playlists but they immediately grabbed my attention & I've included a few more tracks from "Shame" in the subsequent months. The first thing you'll notice upon pressing play is the unusual production job which is intentionally cold, noisy & devoid of colour (very much like the album cover actually) with little attention given to separating the individual instruments. Uniform's sound brings together a number of different influences however there's little doubt that it sits most comfortably under the industrial metal banner as they spend plenty of time in both Godflesh & Ministry camps at various stages with the vocal delivery reminding me of a more hardcore-inflicted version of Godflesh mastermind Justin Broadrick one minute & Ministry main man Al Jourgensen the next. On top of that industrial backbone you get plenty of noise rock, hardcore punk & sludge metal references along the way with some fairly raw Burzum-esque black metal instrumentation (complete with blast beats) tossed in on a couple of tracks as well. I actually feel that "Shame"s best moments are when Uniform explore their slower, bleaker & sludgier atmospheres as that's when they're at their most crushing & the noisy production is most appropriate. This is a very solid album with no real weak tracks & I found it to be a worthy recipient of this month's feature release.
For fans of Godflesh, Ministry & Big Black.
4/5
I like this. First off, it’s nice hearing something new I can get into. And by new, I don’t just mean a new record, but one that’s by a band that’s been around less than 10 years. I already knew of Uniform, but I wouldn’t have expected them to sound like this based on the fact that the record is on Sacred Bones, which has put out some stuff that I like (Zola Jesus, John Carpenter), but none of what I’ve heard is remotely metal. Daniel you mentioned the production, and I agree that it’s cold and bleak but I think there’s actually some strong distinction in the instruments. The bass tone is especially impressive, normally when the distortion is that gravelly it disappears in the mix, but not here (although I’m not sure if it’s a bass guitar or an octave effect-either way I like it). The faster moments are really appealing when they come in, and I’m glad they’re not afraid to bust into pure thrash. I think that’s my main complaint: while Uniform’s strength is clearly in the sludge, I do think they could have stood to have just a few more faster moments, just to neutralize the few that drag. While the Godflesh influence is undeniable, this is clearly a record of its time. I think my favorite songs are the title track and “I Am the Cancer,” just because of all the ground it covers stylistically. After I listened to this record, I listened to it again immediately. 8 songs in 35 minutes is the perfect length IMO. I really regret missing them live when they’ve come through, hopefully I didn’t totally miss my chances. Fun fact: I was in an Art-Punk band called Uniform a few years ago, and the NY Uniform contacted them (before I was in the band) to make sure it was cool that they used the same name. 4/5
Did you submit your rating for this one Chris? When I go to the release page I can only see saxy's & mine. Just wondering if there's a database issue or if you just forgot. Plus, it could effect our The Sphere Release Of The Year award result.
I did my review, here's its summary:
Deep in the underground beneath New York City lies a band in UNIFORM. Since forming in 2013, before this album, Uniform released 3 studio albums, 3 collaborations with The Body (who had too much drone for me to stand), and one EP. This album, Shame continues the band's brave evolution. To answer their question "What if the antihero in your favorite film or book had no chance to repent, reconcile, or redeem himself?" A bleak yet captivating 34-minute industrial metal story, that's what! Shame marks the second album with a real drummer instead of drum programming. The drummer for this album is Mike Sharp. With live drums, there's more heaviness in the oppressive industrial sound of the group. The consistent elements bring together various styles to find here, not just their trademark industrial noise-metal, but also the atmospheric black metal of early 2000s Solstafir, the thrashy hardcore of 80s Neurosis, the doomy riffs of early 2000s Grand Magus, and a bit of melodic post-punk. Those influences are scattered around different songs, each of which using one of those outer styles, before mixing them in the 8-minute epic "I am the Cancer". One minor thing to criticize is the lack of dynamic variation, but that's OK because of the album's short runtime. The range of influences and genres keep Shame interesting and never sh*tty. Listeners will be rewarded even after just first listen. Uniform have made an impressive part of their catalog to bring excitement from the underground!
5/5
Review for their other metal album, The Long Walk, to be made soon...