The second full-length from these Minneapolis crust punks kicks off with a darker and more focused sound in "America's Finest" that seems to indicate a more aggressive and consistent new direction for the band, who have since replaced their vocalist with another ripping frontwoman who unloads a sneering brand of midrange screaming/snarling. However, it becomes clear with the melodic alternate picking and lead lines during the intro to "Night of the Livid Punks" that they haven't totally abandoned their melodic undercurrents. I'd be lying if I said I didn't prefer their first vocalist, as her varied approach and unparalleled intensity were an incredible asset to the band, but the new screamer's definitely got a relentlessly in your face style that works well with what I feel is a slightly stronger set of songs that maintains a clearer sense of direction and consistency without sitting still or lacking variation. Unfortunately the recording is a little muddier than their debut, so some of the force is lost there, but they're still alright for the most part. The guitars are a little chunkier, which is great, but the basslines aren't quite as defined or prominent, and the bass work is damn solid here, so they need to try to retain as much of that as possible. Overall I'd just say they need to add a little brightness to let more detail come out of the guitar riffs, because the vocals are a smidge too dominant this time around. Just like their last outing, batting fifth is a blistering standout ("Lumbergh Fucked 'Em!") that opens with a sick clean intro that gives way to some metallic picking patterns and energetic power chord rhythms that are much more menacing than a lot of these songs as a whole. Great stuff. "Mad Heads Collide" similarly kicks things off with plodding basslines and clean guitars before chugging power chords come in to gradually pick up the pace and take things down the tried and true crust punk road in fine form. "Old World Traits" is another memorable cut that tends to keep the energy level up, and the discordant accents are actually really slick in making this one stand apart from the pack as possibly the best track herein. The only track that seems a little off in terms of fluidity is "Discarded Lives", which dives headfirst from a midpaced intro that uses a hint of melody into a borderline thrash metal styled run with lots of vocal tradeoffs between the lead screams and lower backing shouts. The layout looks not unlike their first record in terms of the similar cover art and the way that each set of lyrics gets its own black and white collage of illustrations and photographs and such. This time out the content is much more direct and socio-political in nature, covering topics such as war, animal rights, greed and corruption, etc. "The final end comes closer everyday, are you prepared for global decay? A gulag of lies, a world of cries, are you ready for the final demise?" I'm still not totally blown away by this band, but they are progressing, so it could be that their next LP will really do the trick. Hopefully it won't be another two-year wait!
[Profane Existence]
Running time - 28:30, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: America's Finest, Lumbergh Fucked 'Em!, Old World Traits, Mad Heads Collide]
Profane Existence - http://www.profaneexistence.com
