Album Review: -(16)- - Dream Squasher
Reviewed by Neil Bolton
For the first time in the 29 year career of -(16)-, Bobby Ferry has decided step forward and take on the role of lead vocals. The guitar player and now vocalist explains the ethos of 'Dream Squasher' in two sentences:
The first: “A conscious effort was made to inject positivity into the lyrical themes”
The second “The best we could come up with is loving your dog so much, you’d end up killing your self if the dog dies”
A difficult mindset to portray, but it -16- have made it their goal to do so.
The album opener 'Candy in Spanish' sets the tone extremely well, a crunchy riff, with accomplished coarse vocals adding anger and texture to the venture. The riff continues to wrap itself around you and keeps you close and engaged. It has a stoner/doom kind of edge to their sound; but there is more to come.
The track referenced in Bobby’s explanation is next, 'Me and the Dog Die Together' and for such a melancholic lyrical matter the track is indeed up lifting. Yes tracks like 'Harvester of Fabrication' could sit anywhere in Down or Crowbars house, a proud achievement in its self, but the faster more punky world that -(16)- create in tracks like 'Ride the Wave' bring out another side to them. A very enjoyable mixture indeed.
The riff of 'Summer of 96' is massive. By this stage of the album you are fully engaged in their music; pained screams and rocky guitar solos leave a reviewer with very little to complain about. We slow down once more for 'Screw Unto Others' it's a short little number, that is slow, low and loud. The album is seen out with a thought provokingly titled song 'Kissing The Choir Boy'. Riffy once again; conjuring up thoughts of the Butthole Surfers. I do not know if this was intended, but they did spring to mind as soon as the track began.
Dream Squasher is an album that does not fit into a musical pigeon hole, but it does make one wonder why it took the guitar player so long to take on the mantle of vocals when he does such a first rate job.
-(16)- release 'Dream Squasher via Relapse Records on June 5th
