Javelina “s/t” CD

The debut album from Philadelphia's Javelina (released by Translation Loss Records) is chock full of sludgy, dingy, gritty fuckin' rock... meets hardcore/punk/metal/whatever the fuck you want to call it. In fact, at times certain facets of their approach remind me of Alabama Thunder Pussy's mighty early days, granted Javelina's triple-vocal attack offers up a harsher-edged array of shouts 'n' yells 'n' sneers. And, accordingly, their heavy yet rockin' backbone tends to branch out into a more aggressive array of pounding basslines, erratic flurries of hammering drum fills, and thicker, nastier guitars—where the occasional dual guitar runs are more like NWOBHM via Eyehategod (if that makes any sense) than any 70's-esque rock 'n' roll throwbacks. I don't know, there's probably a small hint of some of that kinda shit in there, too (check out some of the more fuzzed out/less noisy bursts lead playing during the seven-minute "Architect"), but... it's all just a little nastier and more over the top here, you know? Not that they're really trying to rewrite the book on this particular niche or anything like that, 'cause they're not, but... the overall sense of energy definitely does the trick for me, and keeps things moving along at a strong pace that carries the listen well and leaves you feeling content when all is said and done. Good stuff. That's all there is to it.

Javelina "Throttled"

Oh, and the lyrics are kinda badass as well:

Snake handler, serpent preacher, touched by tongues. Partake in the poison from the mouth of your god. Anointed by fire. Fangs of Christ. Cleansed from within. Clergy of snakes, captors of man. Eulogy of snakes, prisoners of faith.

Translation Loss Records
The End Records
Relapse Records
Amazon.com (mp3)
iTunes (mp3)