Rough Edge: Mouth of the Architect CD Reviews

MOUTH OF THE ARCHITECT

"The Violence Beneath" (Translation Loss; 2010)

Reviewed by Mike SOS

Atmospheric sludge metal troupe Mouth of the Architect marks their return with a massive sounding four-track EP entitled "The Violence Beneath."

Sticking to their guns by continuing to incorporate a gazing metallic stance bursting with shimmering guitars, harsh vocals, and cavernous rhythms that readily land the band into the Isis/Pelican/ Neurosis bin, this Dayton, OH unit stacks the deck with bruising buildups and a colossal wall of sound that can be felt surging through your being as much as it is heard through your ears (“Buried Hopes”).

Throw in a studio-quality live recording of a new track (“Restore”) and a captivatingly clever cover of Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” and this post metal act showcases a penchant for both thinking outside of the box and smashing the same box into tiny pieces on this stopgap offering.

For more information, check out http://www.myspace.com/mouthofthearchitect.

"Quietly" (Translation Loss; 2008)

Reviewed by Mike SOS

The latest endeavor by Ohio's Mouth of the Architect marks a continuation of this unit's post-hardcore sludgy sojourn, as "Quietly" runs just shy of an hour within an eight-track span.

Dense rhythms and suffocating guitars immerse your eardrums in a tantalizing go-round of sound on the oppressive menace of "A Beautiful Corpse" and the undulating "Rocking Chairs and Shotguns" while "Guilt and the Like" and "Hate and Heartache" surpass typecast loud-soft dynamic shifts with bursts of bombastic guitars and distressed vocal roars while constructing an impenetrable wall of sound courtesy of a cavernous bottom end heard across the duration of the disc.

Emitting a creepy tension throughout not unlike Isis or Neurosis, this beautiful yet discordant affair contains a barrage of burly buildups and constantly changing rhythmic patterns which do the service of paying homage to genre leaders while carving out MOTA's very own spot on the avant garde metal totem pole.

For more information, check out http://www.myspace.com/mouthofthearchitect.

Rating Guide:

A classic. This record will kick your ass.

Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.

So-so. You've heard better.

Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.

Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.

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