Flowers In The Attic--s/t
McCarthyism 2004
Coming off their amazing split 7" with Roma Delenda Est, Flowers In The Attic seemed poised for great things in the future. That said, nobody could've been prepared for this. With their self-titled debut album, the band have forged what may be the ultimate masterpiece of modern hardcore. All that initial promise has in fact been fully realized on this monumental release. The results are utterly beyond words.
With a base sound rooted in the angularity of D.C. hardcore, and channeling the dark energy of black metal, Flowers In The Attic have revealed even deeper layers to their palate on this disc. The increased space of a full-length has allowed them to delve deeper into the doom metal aspect of their music, while at the same time opening doors to something almost new wave in feel. Then there are the vocals. The scream of hardcore at its best hits from a place so deep inside, the truth of its sentiment cannot be questioned. More often than not, this unfortunately isn't what you get. Rest assured, the vox of Rebecca Burchette has it right in a way perhaps no one else ever has. When this woman steps to the mic and lets loose, it's like something is being purged from the darkest recess of her soul--it's impossible not to feel this passion as these songs hit your ears. This listen is not only unique but organic--alive and powerfully so.
Flowers In The Attic don't let you down in the songwriting department, either. The opening "874524I" starts as a hornets nest of blackened frenzy, morphing into an epic slab of sludged out doom. "The Mouth The Salt And The Open Wound" has a very waved feel to it, thanks to the paranoid quirk in the moving guitar line. "Ode To The Six Foot Hole" compliments that track well, only with a decidedly goth slant and bursts of mega-downtuned brutality that will stun the sickest of doomers. Flowers In The Attic even manage to check pure rock n' roll on the riff which surfaces as all other voices fall away during the closing "Blah Blah Blah Shit." Again, all of this is incorporated into a hardcore context, with Burchette's voice willing it all to a mythical level of brilliance.
Bottom line: Flowers In The Attic have crafted one of the most important hardcore albums ever in this debut. Original beyond compare amongst a sea of parody, this album rises above all others of its ilk and shames them into invalidity. Pray that this band stays their course and hold together for many more efforts. This is something very special. Bravo.
Score this LP directly from MCCARTHYISM |
