CD, Static Sky/Crunch Pod, 2006
www.thisiscaustic.com
Matt Fanale, the man behind US act Caustic, is a very, very evil person. Want proof? Listen to the first track. As much as you can handle, because you’ll probably just skip it afterwards, as the title correctly predicts. Want to add insult to injury? Listen to the rest of “Unicorns, Kittens & Shit.”. Listen to it loud, and listen to it often, because this record is the closest I can think to driving music for the Mad Max universe. Two hundred percent tongue-in-cheek, from the cover and titles to the multitude of samples that reside within the fifteen tracks (excluding the intro) that make up this full-length release.
And for those not sharing the joy of eternal adolescence, the music to match the samples is great too. Pumping loud and clear, Caustic’s brand of powernoise falls somewhere between the works of Combichrist and Manufactura, only in a more driving-drunken-at-4am-with-loud-music sense of aggression, as opposed to the more dark and brooding material that the genre usually offers. The remixes offered by Mimetic, and Cenotype, as well as the two tracks with Empusae and Manufactura don’t fall of the mark, offering their own tinge on Fanale’s sound.
As technique goes, the album leaves a bit to be desired, but if you’re searching for a deep and fulfilling voyage into the depths of electronic musicianship here, you’re nominated for a “missing the point award”. This is one burly mother of a record, meant for kicks, shits and giggles, not contemplative listening from the headphones while sitting on your rocking chair. So break that chair’s leg, grab a beer, and go pump that album loud, cause it’s riot time.
[8/10]
— George Mouratidis