Genre : Mathcore / Mathgrind
Release date : September 18, 2020
Label : Self-release
FFO : Frontierer, Car Bomb, Danza
I was lucky enough to have Fawn Limbs send me their album in advance prior to it's release on the 18th of September (mark the date) and when I read that Pedram Valiani (Frontierer, Sectioned) was in charge of mixing the record and Chad Kapper (Frontierer, A Dark Orbit) would be making guest appearances, I knew I was in for a treat.
Turns out I was right in many ways since "Sleeper Vessels" has rapidly become one of my favourite extreme records of the year in terms of dissonant music.
"Sleeper Vessels" doesn't waste a single second of it's 28 minutes of play time and bombards the listener with jaw-dropping beefy riffs, spasmodic dissonance, frantic drum grooves, gritty vocals and elements of industrial electronics, breakbeats and noise.
Phew, if that sounded like a lot to take in one go, well that's exactly what this album sounds like. It definitely isn't easy listening but it is a marvel and a pure jewel for the accustomed ear.
Pedram excels at producing this style of music and enhancing the already stupidly heavy guitar tones, making them sound less like instruments and more like weapons of mass destruction. We also have Simon Hawemann in charge of the mastering to thank for making this record sound so brutally heavy and abrasive while still sounding satisfyingly crisp!
The only negative criticism I could think of is the fact that the album could have done with more "stand-out" moments like the intro riff of "Metrae" or the bridge of the title track for example.
It's easy to get lost in this relentless maelstrom of chaos and feel like the album is one big dizzying track.
But then again that is one of the genre's main tropes.
I'm not saying that the album is redundant and lacks originality, gosh no, quite the contrary in fact. Still, I think this album could have benefitted from more "readability", in order to make every track's excentricities stand out even more whether it's the dissonant guitar slides, the electronic elements or the crazy mathematical drum fills.
(Oh and why did "Photovoltaic Hum" have to be so short? 😭)
Nevertheless, "Sleeper Vessels" is a stellar release within the genre and is most definitely a highlight of the year for me in terms of mathcore or just heavy music in general.
Although Fawn Limbs have only been active since 2018, the band has been extremely prolific and have rapidly made a solid reputation for themselves within the scene and I'm confident and sincerely hope that "Sleeper Vessels" will take them to new heights.
I for one already consider them to be a staple among the "greats" of mathcore alongside the likes of Dillinger, Danza, Car Bomb and Frontierer.
So go ahead and show some love to the gents in Fawn Limbs by giving this massive banger a listen!
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