Yog “Years of Nowhere” CD

The latest from 187 Records is the American release of "Years of Nowhere", the debut full-length from Swiss grind/metalcore unit Yog, and I've been sitting on this thing for way too long. But I just realized as I sat down to put this write-up together that the album didn't actually hit the streets until last month, so I guess I didn't fuck up too bad after all! Yog was formed way back in 2000, and then broke up for a short time in 2003 before regrouping in 2004 as a much more productive outfit: Releasing two EP's and the original European pressing of "Years of Nowhere" in the three years that followed. Expect 13 generally short, explosive tracks (incredible closer "Death by Silent Tyrants" happens to be about five times as long as the other songs) in about 40 minutes—for the most part opting for fast, blasting bursts of chunky grind that combines a "Utopia Banished" era Napalm Death feel with the more dissonant and chaotic leanings of contemporary metalcore. The recording's so crisp and well rounded, and the performances so tight and precise, however, that the band's penchant for all over the place riffing and change-ups is actually quite efficiently presented. You'll literally encounter everything from blazing tremolo picking and flashy technicality with some quick discordant runs reminiscent of early Burst meets black metal to slower, churning rhythms and little fits of tangible melody or even some discernible hardcore influences. But like I said, they pull it off, and the songwriting tends to arrange things in a way that contains some breathing room via segments where you can really start to wrap your head around a more memorable or tangible piece of the puzzle, and that helps immensely. Very cool...

Yog "Death by Silent Tyrants" (excerpt)
Yog "Love Process Failure"

This one's a mere $5 from the label right now, which is an absolutely unbeatable price, so don't hesitate to make the grab if you like what you're hearing above...

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187 Records