Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Admiral Angry - Buster (2009)
Music is forever. If a musician, whether solo or in a band, is gone, his/her/their work would live on. They should never be forgotten, even the most unpleasant to the outsiders. Why am I telling you all this? You'll find out as you read on...
Formed in San Francisco, Admiral Angry can feed listeners some anger that might be terrifying for the inexperienced. Originally a grindcore band, they then switched to their own sound that combines the sludge of Neurosis, the hardcore of Black Flag, and the doom-ish heavy metal of Black Sabbath. Vocalist Chris Lindblad delivers some of the most tortured-sounding vocals in extreme metal/hardcore. The sludgy low tempo shows some talent in writing, while being a bit restrained.
The opening "Sex with a Stranger" begins with the downtuned sludge you're in for, slower than a snail. After the first minute and a half, what's more interesting is the sudden change to a bouncing beat with some of the heaviest riffing to be heard. Then near the end, the tempo picks up higher, and you can jam out with it. Turning back into slow tempo, "Circling the Drain" starts with a few-second ambient intro before the sludgy doom riffing bursts in again. A little over 3 minutes in, the sound starts to drone a bit, but then a minute later, a head-pounding riff practically mixes a Southern vibe with slight Northern black metal. That's a vicious display of anger!
Track 3, "Kill Yourself" opens with a headbanging Meshuggah-like djenty riff that then transitions into Will Haven's sludgy groove. This context is leveled up with percussive riffs and high tremolos. Once again it ends interestingly with high-tempo noise. Next up, "Plastic Bath" is perhaps the most metalcore (and there's barely any here) drumming and riffing. It's all quite heavy, with the drums sounding industrial. "Blowdown" is certainly a key highlight. "Android" has skillful drumming including a pummeling drum outro.
"Specimen On" has faster jazzy drumming, but it's a poor under-two-minute track. This is made up for "Bug Vomit". And even more in "The Illusion of Strength", the ending highlight, with one or two notes played over and over for a minute as part of a riff. This is tight tough heaviness you wish for more of from the band members.
Sadly, founding guitarist Daniel Krauss passed away from cystic fibrosis at age 22 after recording this album and one more EP. I felt some pain in my heart when I found out because I lost an outside-world friend of mine last month (as of this review), same age, similar cause of death. This is why I want you all to remember the work of this band and their fallen guitarist. Buster is a good album with some of the heaviest dread. RIP those two young fellows gone too soon; Daniel Krauss and my outside-world friend....
Favorites: "Sex with a Stranger", "Kill Yourself", "Plastic Bath", "Blowdown", "The Illusion of Strength"