Ninja Death Squad
Bridge 12
3.3
Ninja Death Squad is a loud, abrasive noisecore band hailing from the metal haven of Vermont. Even though I'm only a state away, this is the first heavy band I've heard from that wonderful state of skiing and overpriced ice cream. Let me just get something out of the way right now: I'm usually not a fan of chaotic noise bands, Dillenger Escape Plan excepted, so if you're an expert on this sound, then my opinion is worth jack-shit to you. The band consists of two members, Andy Bennet on guitar, and Nate Meunier on drums. Both guys share the "tortured screams" duty. The end result basically sounds like a couple of kids jamming in the basement with the end goal of pissing off their folks. The production is shit, but I can't imagine they have a huge budget to work with, so whatever. The lack of bass is obvious, forcing the guitar to carry quite a bit of fuzz, to bring a little bit of low-end. Nate is a decent drummer, holding a steady beat and bringing some neat fills. On the other hand, Andy's guitarwork is quite inconsistent, but I get the feeling that he's a better player than what's being shown here. On rare instances there are solid riffs on display.
As for the actual songs, some are pretty good, while others just make my ears hurt. Ninja Death Squad has a strange tendency of switching off between noise and this oddly mellow, alternative-rock like sound. Perhaps some Phish influence. (j/k). The better songs would be Stop Motion Breakout, which has a cool vibe running throughout the song, Semantic Motion Breakout, sort of like a continuation of the last song, and Separations of Collected Eyes, with its punk sensibilities. Battered Exegesis is probably the best noise track on here.
For someone with my tastes, this album is a lot like prospecting for gold. You dig and dig, and every so often you find a little nugget of hope, but at the end of the day, you go home empty-handed. Their website has some sample mp3s up, so check those out for a more accurate picture of the band if you like "loud and fast soundscapes of grinding berserk noise games accompanied by moments of introspective melody and screaming." (Their words, not mine)
