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Fistula - Destitute review




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Reviewer:
7.5

1 user:
6
Band: Fistula
Album: Destitute
Release date: April 2015


01. Firstborn (Sobriety Continues)
02. Morgue Attendant
03. The Big Turnout
04. Destitute
05. The Time We Bought Dope From The Cops

Ohio's Fistula are an example of a band whose name goes perfectly hand in hand with the attitude of their music. Like the abnormal and harmful organ connections for which they are named, these guys are purveyors of grime and are all about the nastiness: eating, drinking, and bathing in it. 2015's Destitute is certainly no exception to this, and proves that although the band aren't changing up their formula anytime soon, they really don't need to.

The Destitute demo can be seen as a Fistula appetizer of sorts, a small taste of hell before we get a new full length from them later in the year. As with most of their releases (except for those two strange drone albums), the music here is a groovy, hard-hitting, and crunchy amalgamation of sludge and punk that delights in the fun of its own debaucherous excess. The riffs here are just catchy as all hell, and many moments across all five tracks ("Morgue Attendant," especially) are sure to get stuck in your head for days. The band strike a very commendable balance between their sludgey vibes and their punky ones: at times they take their music in the usual slow, thick, and heavy direction, and at other moments, particularly on the re-recording of "The Time We Bought Dope From The Cops," things are more upbeat, bouncy, and embracing of their hardcore side. Additionally, at the front helm new vocalist Dan Harrington gives an excellent delivery. He's one of those rare ones where, despite delivering harsh vocals, you can still fairly make out what he's saying even without needing to read any lyrics, and it's one of the most enjoyable aspects of the music.

Embellishing the mood of the demo and helping to create a bit of a darkly comedic atmosphere is the band's use of several audio samples. Fistula definitely have this technique down to a T. Much like with White Zombie, these samples kind of serve as the icing on their cake: the final push that reinforces all the crazy shit their lyrics touch upon. The declaration of "There's no Santa Claus, there's no Christmas, there's no God, there's no Easter Bunny, there's nothing, nothing, NOTHING!" on that closing track comes in at just the right moment with the right intent, and it goes perfectly with the band's filthy sludge antics.

The "if it aint broke, don't fix it" saying definitely applies to Fistula's Destitute demo. There's really nothing new that the band are doing here, but in many ways at this point changing things up would almost feel unnecessary. The band have a great formula that's working for them, and the power they conjure from it doesn't seem to be showing signs of decreasing anytime soon. If you consider yourself a fan of hardcore, sludge, or just really groovy music in general, and you haven't yet heard the music of Fistula, you need to change that.

Go smoke acid and shoot pills. All the cool kids are doing it.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 8
Songwriting: 8
Originality: 7
Production: 7





Written on 07.05.2015 by Metal Storm’s own Babalao. Comforting the disturbed and disturbing the comfortable since 2013.


Comments

Comments: 11   Visited by: 129 users
07.05.2015 - 17:05
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
The Time We Bought Dope From The Cops - nice one, I like that remark
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Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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07.05.2015 - 17:52
BitterCOld
The Ancient One
Really looking forward to a full length. need to check this out in the mean time.
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get the fuck off my lawn.

Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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07.05.2015 - 18:24
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by BitterCOld on 07.05.2015 at 17:52

Really looking forward to a full length. need to check this out in the mean time.

Yeah, I see you reviewed the Loser EP on here a while ago. That one was really gritty in its production, and with a different vocalist, so.... kinda the same formula, but this one's significantly different. Still nasty, but more polished production, and more of a balance between slow and upbeat.
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I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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08.05.2015 - 01:22
LeKiwi
High Fist Prog
That name... *cringe*
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08.05.2015 - 01:39
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by LeKiwi on 08.05.2015 at 01:22

That name... *cringe*

The first sentence of this review stands
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I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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08.05.2015 - 02:02
megapsychoticone

I absolutely love filthy sludge and this release definitely fits any and all of my requirements for fun wallowing in the human sewer.
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08.05.2015 - 02:34
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by deadone on 08.05.2015 at 02:28

Great review. I love the bandname and am really intrigued by the description.

This is definitely a band I'd point you too if you're looking for some of that "in your face" energy you were talking about a bit ago. Not sure if it's the type you typically envision, but worth a shot at the very least
----
I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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08.05.2015 - 16:19
Alex F
Slick Dick Rick
I've heard of the band before but never given them a shot. Your review has definitely convinced me to go through some of their releases though, so we'll see what I find.
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08.05.2015 - 16:28
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by Alex F on 08.05.2015 at 16:19

I've heard of the band before but never given them a shot. Your review has definitely convinced me to go through some of their releases though, so we'll see what I find.

There's actually a surprising variety of sound in their discog. There are those two drone albums I mentioned, Lessons In Lamentation and Inverted Black Star. Personally I don't think they do drone very well, but you might think otherwise. Everything else is more or less this punky, groovy kind of sludge, but there are still a lot of variations among releases in terms of production, speed, etc. I'd suggest Idiopathic and Vermin Prolificus, their latest, as your first go tos.
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I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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09.05.2015 - 05:55
Lit.
Account deleted
Sounds great. Band's definitely got potential.
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11.05.2015 - 04:33
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by deadone on 11.05.2015 at 04:31

Just checked this one out.

Really interesting stuff - the stripped down rawness makes it sound old as in 1980s or 1990s especially the speedier hardcore bits.

Success! Glad ya like it, I know you can hard to please
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I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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