Review by Daniel for Chat Pile - Cool World (2024)

I was quite a fan of Oklahoma City four-piece Chat Pile's 2022 debut album "God's Country" going back a couple of years now. It commanded my attention off the back of some seriously relentless street buzz & didn't disappoint with its exciting industrial sludge metal sound offering me a great deal of appeal. I haven't gotten around to exploring any of the band's other releases since that time but 2024's "Cool World" sophomore album seems to be receiving a very similar amount of hype to the debut so I felt that it would be a good time to check it out with the Metal Academy Awards taking place at the start of February.

"Cool World" is Chat Pile's second full-length for American label The Flenser who pride themselves on showcasing the more experimental & artful artists in the scene. It seems to be a good fit too as "Cool World" isn't by any means a straight-forward record. It marks the first time that Chat Pile have allowed an external influence into the studio with Uniform's Ben Greenberg being responsible for the mixing. Where I felt that "God's Country" was inaccurately being tagged as a noise rock record (mainly off the back of the band's own statements as far as I can see), "Cool World" sees Chat Pile embracing their Sonic Youth influences more holistically with the noise rock sound now being the protagonist in the majority of the tracklisting. In fact, upon my first listen I have to admit that the album sounded much more rock than it did metal. Subsequent listens saw me better understanding the relationship that "Cool World" has with metal though & I can now easily identify the metal component. It's simply masked a bit by the fact that the rhythm guitars are dwarfed by the powerful bass guitar which is the sole element driving the metal flag most of the time, reminding me a lot of the filthy bottom-heavy tone of Godflesh's G.C. Green. The industrial metal influence that was arguably the strongest component of "God's Country" is still identifiable on a couple of tracks but this time I'd suggest that Chat Pile's borrow more from the English industrial metal legends sludge metal side, combining it with the noise rock of The Jesus Lizard, the post-hardcore of Big Black & the alternative metal of Helmet for a unique amalgamation of sounds. You'll definitely pick up on a number of other influences across the duration of the album too with the experimental rock of Primus & the nu metal of Korn popping up from time to time as well as other subgenres like gothic rock & post-punk. It all makes for a very interesting listen that may not be as obviously intense as the debut from a musical perspective but more than makes up for it in artistic credibility with its thematic content taking things further towards the darkside than they had previously.

The tracklisting is generally very consistent with Chat Pile proving themselves to be a class act when it comes to song-writing. There are no obviously weaker tracks included but the more experimental approach takes a bit of effort to get into & highlight tracks are rare, despite the assortment of different styles & influences on offer. The heavier alternative metal of "Masc" is the clear standout for me personally & is the best thing I've heard from Chat Pile to date but I also really enjoyed the one-two punch of "Shame" & "Frownland". "Funny Man" & "Tape" offer a little less appeal than the rest of the material but, even then, they're still pretty entertaining so I can't complain much. Sure, front man Raygun Busch doesn't go to the extraordinary lengths of aural violence that he did on Chat Pile's first album but his performance is still unanimously captivating nonetheless. I've always been a big fan of Sonic Youth's raw, experimental edge & Chat Pile exude that aura in spades with all of their musical endeavours oozing of class & integrity. They're a top-notch act that's built on a variety of influences that all command your respect, even if you may not dig each & every artist that's being drawn upon to create this unapologetically artistic record.

Overall, I think I "Cool World" might be a slightly more mature listen than the very enjoyable "God's Country" was to be honest. I've always been one that's drawn to a darker & more gratuitously artistic brand of rock & metal music so I was open to taking the leap of faith required to fully understand a record like this one. It's certainly not the most metal of releases you'll hear this year but will likely be one of the most challenging with each subsequent listen allowing the intricacies of the song-writing to open up more & more. It still maintains the psychotic elements that made the debut so great but presents them in a darker & more subtle & restrained format that promotes longevity through its additional depth. In saying all of that, I do think labelling this music as sludge metal is missing a large part of the picture as I think there's possibly even more alternative metal on "Cool World" than there is sludge. Still... as the cover says... this is a cool record that shouldn't disappoint fans of the Cat Pile's earlier work.

For fans of Helmet, Wrong & Sonic Youth.