Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals - Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue review
Band: | Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals |
Album: | Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue |
Release date: | January 2018 |
01. Little Fucking Heroes
02. Utopian
03. Choosing Mental Illness
04. The Ignorant Point
05. Individual
06. Delinquent
07. Photographic Taunts
08. Finger Me
09. Invalid Colubrine Frauds
10. Mixed Lunatic Results
Aside from everything else that can be said about Phil Anselmo, of which there is an unfortunately large amount, it is impressive that someone who has spent as long making music and had as much success as him can still summon up the Biblical levels of anger that he has displayed on recent musical records. However, Anselmo, arguably the face of chest-beating primal aggression in metal, had perhaps too much bile to unload on the debut record of his solo band, Walk Through Exits Only, to the extent that the songs (or at least the few I could bear to listen to) began to collapse in on themselves from all the untamed rage unleashed and turned into semi-incoherent messes. Now, with the release of their sophomore record, Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue, there is the hope that Phil Anselmo And The Illegals have learned to channel their raw emotion into a more refined output.
Right off the bat, the band announces that they haven't cheered up in the past few years, with "Little Fucking Heroes," a juggernaut of grinding, putrid sludge. There is still the same issue regarding a lack of natural flow to the song, but perhaps to a lesser degree. Anselmo announces himself instantly with arguably a huskier, grimmer vocal approach than has been used in the past, along with some really bilious gargled screams. The overall sound incorporates all the nastiest forms of metal, with elements of grindcore and death metal fitting in amongst the grimy sludge. I would say the most effective moments come when they focus on the latter, slowing things down with some really murky, swampy riffs. When the speed ratchets up, giving way to buzzsaw-esque riffs ("Choosing Mental Illness") and chaotic blast beat patterns on the drums ("The Ignorant Point"), the flow can really begin to get lost.
So, has the band improved on last time? Perhaps to some degree. I would say the songs here are definitely more listenable than those I remember from Walk Through Exits Only, but that's not a difficult bar to reach. Compared to the sludge metal scene at large, there's very few that can match the intensity and aggression of this album, but many that can deliver a similar punch without sacrificing structure to this degree. It ultimately depends what you're looking for - if you can find your own rhythm with these songs, this misanthropic cacophony of extreme metal and hardcore can probably energise like few other artists can. However, the paucity of memorable hooks (mostly as a result of the complete lack of songwriting focus) means that for the most part, the music is almost impossible to engage with.
If you fancy giving it a try, "Individual" is one of the more cohesive and hook-filled songs here, and as a result the most enjoyable.
Rating breakdown
Performance: | 6 |
Songwriting: | 4 |
Originality: | 7 |
Production: | 5 |
Written by musclassia | 18.05.2018
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
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