Baby Godzilla - Oche Album Review

Don’t do what I did and let this band slip under your radar because you’ll really miss out.

rating: 4

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Baby.Godzilla.BastardBaby Godzilla is one of the coolest band names you€™ll hear in a while. It managed to grab my attention, anyway. That, and the dashing red envelope I received the promo in of their scything 7-track mini album really did get my intrigue whizzing around my clouded brain. It€™s not often, after all, that I receive lovely red envelopes with stuff for review €“ it€™s usually all boring brown envelopes stuffed with bubble wrap €“ and the blurry, golden image of a reclining, bearded man at the bottom of the envelope did actually make me a bit more cheerful as I clawed the post out of my letter-box with a standard hangover head. I had no idea what to expect from the band, in all honesty they€™d slipped under my radar, so I stuck the CD in the player and poured some milk on my crunchy nut, waiting in anticipation and cobwebbed interest. The first track, At The Oche, started and the fuzzy, glorious feedback that meets with smashed, clattered, frantic drums and an elastic, bouncy bass, along with shrieked, furious vocals almost tore my hangover out of my ears and was just about to make a horrific mess on the floor but luckily I managed to slam my hands over my ears and keep everything intact. I fucking loved the noise that was ruining my (supposed to be) quiet morning. So much, in fact, that after the 7 tracks had finished I got another bowl of crunchy nut and pressed play again. Paracetamol? Pah! Who needs those when you€™ve got Baby Godzilla? http://youtu.be/vZ6mZvWElq8 The second track, Powerboat Disaster, incorporates an almost drunken sea shanty gang vocal at the start , along with a snarling, bleeding guitar that throws a riff at you that you€™d do well to catch. If you don€™t, it€™ll probably scuttle up your trouser leg and nibble at your shin before snapping your knee cartilage. The vicious bastard. The rising pinches of the guitar and falling, chaotic drums really adds a sense of anarchy and jangled ferocity. It€™s not metal, it€™s not hardcore, so what is it? An amalgamation of both, that€™s what, and Jesus H Christ do the band pull it off well. The sea shanty appears again to round the track off and though I couldn€™t really be 100% sure what the lyrics were, the tune stayed in my head even after the 7 tracks had ruined my lugholes. Braille For An Axeman is a real nasty explosion that€™ll leave you hanging on to the walls as the other objects in the room fly out of the window. The mean, abrasive riff that winds and jaggedly weaves its way throughout the track, crashing into the intense vocals, is a highlight of not just the track but the album itself as it€™s layered with technical efficacy as well as the ability to let the listener feel as dirty as where the riff surfaced from. It€™s this particular track that really sets them apart as a band who€™re going to be awesome live. The passion and aggressiveness just leaks out of this track like silicone leaking out of Jocelyn Wildenstein€™s face. The final track, The Three Legged Race.ist., follows much like the rest of the album but what really does make this a great track is the almost proggy/post-metal sound that fills the last 3 minutes of the track. The howling guitars, bruised and battered drums, and the dark and hacking bass create a sound that€™s as hectic as it is monstrous, reminding me a bit of bands like Dillinger Escape Plan and The Chariot, amongst others. The band also gives us a lovely little rendition of Smells Like Teen Spirit, which, while unexpected, leaves a tongue-in-cheek, humorous ending to the album. Don€™t do what I did and let this band slip under your radar because you€™ll really miss out. This is a cracking release that leaves no puzzle as to why they€™re playing this year€™s Hit The Deck Festival and have already played with the likes of Fucked Up, The 80€™s Matchbox B-Line Disaster and DZ Deathrays. You should go and buy this album, you may even get a lovely red envelope.
In this post: 
Reviews
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Music editor of WhatCulture. Queries/promos/freebies, e-mail me: rhys@whatculture.com You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/Beard_22