If you haven`t heard one of New York`s better secrets, Battle for Wyoming, here`s your chance. The five song The Whale Story gives you everything you need to know about the three-piece, except maybe how ferocious they are live. That`s not for a lack of trying. When you`re sonically aligned with heavyweights Unsane, there`s going to be more than just an undercurrent of aggression to your music. What Battle for Wyoming also brings is a heightened sense of groove. “Pull Out,†the second track and the second best (by a hair) song on The Whale Story, purrs like a finely tuned motor in a machine designed for kicking ass with proficiency and efficiency. You`ll find that sort of controlled, focused stomping on “A Better Household,†“Nice Moustache, Douchebag,†and “Cody,†but it`s on “Mungo,†the grand finale, where Battle for Wyoming makes you stop everything you`re doing and pay attention. I refer to songs like that as “mean drunk music,†and that`s exactly what “Mungo†is. It lumbers, it roars, and it makes good, decent people cross over to the other side of the street. And if that doesn`t sell you on Battle for Wyoming, I don`t know what will. More, please.
-Review by John Pegoraro (StonerRock.com)
While Brooklyn’s Battle for Wyoming may not hail from the state mentioned in their moniker, their sound is the kind of destructive noise that will take up the fight of good music far and wide should they get the exposure that they need. Their sound is rooted in the kind of bludgeoning, early Amp-Rep noise rock that is absolutely timeless to these ears. Combine the street-level wallop of Unsane with the emphasis on massive grooves in a sludgy, Cable style fashion and slightly temper the sound with Keelhaul’s unexpected shifts in tempo and you’ll at least be in the right ballpark. This is angry, knuckle-dragging music with nerve damaging riffs, an iron clad rhythm section and blood- in-the-throat vocals that range from pissed off screams to gruff shouts. These guys are all business for sure and get their point across relatively quickly but sacrifice neither aggression nor groove at any moment.
The opening fury of “Household Deer†sets the tone from the start. The track starts with a galloping opening that I could liken to High on Fire before rock n’ roll thunder splits the skies as the band delves into fierce and grooving noise-rock. The second half of this track has a riff that I can only describe as staggering in its delivery and unadulterated heaviness. “Pullout†brings us down into the realm of a more straight-up rock and roll delivery, which I don’t mind one bit. Imagine if Unsane picked up some Clutch “S/T†groove, creating a Frankenstein-like monster that would scare the hell out of you if you saw it coming down the street but you’d find it getting all tanked up and getting a groove on at a late night stoner rock/doom show. Street-level groove all over the place on this one and it actually reminds me of some of the most rocked out stuff on “Scattered, Smothered and Coveredâ€. “Nice Moustache, Douchebag†brings in some tangible math-rock elements (tempo shifts aplenty on this one) but still keeps them nailed down nicely with groove to spare. “Cody†builds with dreadful menace as a muffled sample and heavy, bass-driven groove that sets the stage for some rocked out math-y mayhem. There is a ton of mood/tempo shifts throughout this song and it is probably the most frantic affair on this EP while still retaining a special style to its mayhem that can’t be labeled as anyone but Battle for Wyoming. The band closes up shop with “Mungo†which is a killer jammed out track. The band deliver a smooth, snake-like groove that is undeniable in its power and ability to pull you in and get toes tapping but still keeps things raw and noisy in the tradition of the classic Amp-Rep sound. The vocals really add a ton of force to this one as they are shouted in a painful, drawn out fashion that really helps get the point across.
This is an awesome release from start to finish. The song-writing is as tight as it gets and not a moment of time is wasted with filler. You get punishing rock and roll delivered with flair and variety; nothing more, nothing less. The production is massive, doing well to capture their huge grooves and manic aggression while carrying over a definite live feel. If you dig noise-rock, sludge, mathematical devastation and the like then you need to have this one in your collection. Hopefully the band will build on this fantastic start and offer up a full-length in the near future. I for one will be highly anticipating what these guys do next. One word description: CRUSHING.
-Hellridemusic.com
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