Dr. Slaggleberry
The Slagg Factory
7.1
Rightful heir to the experimental genes of grandaddy Mr Bungle, Dr. Slaggleberry is a an unconventional musical physician and the British cousin of similarly instrumental Admiral Browning. His lifestyle is unpredictable to others, but in reality, excruciatingly well planned and arranged. Remedying musical linearity with non-convention, he prescribes just the right dosage of technicality and time signature algebra for those of us who find bands like Psyopus unlistenable.
Operating under the surnames Turnbull, Pethers and Batemen, Dr. Slaggleberry are in fact a three-piece collection of restless drummers, a specialism that works wonders in the creation of oddly infectious and streaming rhythms, when two of them decided to take on guitar duties. Triangulating their instrumentation in an even greater sonic area than previous recordings, they casually develop their sound for their third low key EP The Slagg Factory.
The musical arrangement of this band gives a totally new meaning to the idea of a lead and rhythm guitarist, both having to cover so much more ground with the lack of bass or vocals. Likening the sound to Dino Cazares thundering fuzzy overdrive under the clean and creepy tones of Ephel Duath is close, but not quite there. Some pretty neat double-handed tapping flavors the record throughout, swirling hypnotic shapes over the demented “Gone Devil”, yet devising a moment of peace and serenity through the first part of “845” - before that turns into a cantankerous leviathan chasing its own tail too.
Drumming is tight, expressive and comes across as sickeningly effortless, each stroke operating on the exact same wavelength as the guitars, whether it be designed to accentuate the riff or contain the beat.
Previous release Tuc Into the Tar! reveals a slightly disappointing lack of tempo dynamics in this effort, as well as a nagging feeling that an opportunity for some more progressive song structures was missed here. However, The Slagg Factory is not without its own engrossing personality and is a bit of an inspiration to those of us who don't know how versatile their guitar can be.
Related
Dr. SlaggleberryTuc Into The Tar!
11/17/2008