EP REVIEW: No Escape No Excuse – Snake Tongue
One of the better features about the alternative scene resides in how complementary a lot of the sounds are. Yes, the amount of sub-genres can become meme worthy, but it also means that shared aspects from genre to genre are abundant. With the new No Escape No Excuse EP from SNAKE TONGUE, this is abundantly clear, because the meddling of influences is easily the best thing to do with the whole thing.
Corrupted Beat is the first track and things start with gusto. The rumbling bass offers a great hardcore influences whilst the suffocating guitars do well to create a blanket of noise similar to that of contemporaries like MASTIFF. It’s a strong opener, until the vocals join the fray, and things are reduced quite significantly. The flat and uninspired delivery just gets lost in the mix and adds nothing to the intensity created with ease by the rest of the band. Coupled with Derailed, both of these songs make for intensely sludgy offerings that take as much from hardcore as they do doom. And the benefits of these amalgamations are clear, as the most memorable moments on the No Escape No Excuse come from the frantically heavy riffs. But even here, they quickly pale in comparison when compared to other bands playing the same toxic sludge sound.
Second track Dystopian Slumber fairs somewhat better, and even shows that SNAKE TONGUE hide more musical faces than they allude to. The track opens with a calmer approach, complete with spoken word vocals that remain hidden within the mix once again. The fresh opening is welcome after the battering from the first track, but it is once again the vocals that bring the song down. Lacking in the anger that they are surrounded by, the potential buried within the songs is very real, but it’s just not being realised or tapped into as well as it could be.
The final song The Hammer And The Nail feels like absolute worship at the altar of SLEEP, as the droning, repetitive notes kick off the song with passion. This song feels to be the most complete, as the more refined verses actually match the vibes of the vocals and come across as a much better marriage. Of course, this is all thrown out the window the moment the pace is picked up and familiar problems arise, but it does show SNAKE TONGUE to be a deeper band than just sludge-covered riffs that carry and mask the shortcomings elsewhere in the band.
No Escape No Excuse is a glimpse into a band with clear promise. Their ability to emulate the suffocating sounds of early EYEHATEGOD and match them with a more frantic modern pace gives off mean results, but ultimately there are better options for the same sound. SNAKE TONGUE appear to be at their best when thinking about dynamics, and working towards the strengths of vocalist. This is rather than them trying, and somewhat failing, to swing with the harder hitters of their contemporaries.
Rating: 5/10
No Escape No Excuse is out now via The Sign Records.
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