Sulaco and Gorod…

Has it been too long or what!? Three years after their four-song debut, Sulaco's finally back with their first full-length for the mighty Willowtip. For those unaware, Sulaco features former Lethargy and Kalibas member (and Blatant Crap Taste mastermind) Erik Burke on guitar and vocals, so "Tearing Through the Roots" is of course chock full of meaty picking patterns and mangled, oddball riffs that wind around all over the place through various tempos and degrees of dissonance. The vocals are great, there's something about that strained texture that really works. I could sort of see these vocals working well within a grindcore kind of aesthetic, which is weird since they're equally appropriate over this uncategorizable brand of technical metal. I also dig the recording, which is dense and balanced in a manner that allows the band to sound like a trio in terms of space, but still packs a good punch. From a songwriting standpoint there's not exactly a ton of variety from track to track, but somehow things tend to move along faster than they seem. There must just be something about the generally manic energy of the riffs and the awesome hyperactivity of the drumming (which flies through some sweet fills and knows when to settle down and lock in with its surroundings) that carries the listen well, because it just fuckin' works. There are definitely some totally badass riffs on this thing, notably of the slower variety, as such circumstances really allow that meatiness to shine, which benefits some of the whacked out harmonics and bends/vibrato happening in the guitar work. Nice, chaotic layout, too. Good stuff.

Sulaco "Sticks in My Craw"
Sulaco "Model of Inefficiency"

If you dig the tunes, support the band and the label with a purchase. Willowtip's service is fast and cheap, just how I like it, so why go anywhere else? Hop to it:

@ Willowtip