ALBUM REVIEW: Ache – MTXS

Heavy music has been going through a bit of an alteration over the past decade or so. With the rise of a new age of brutality thanks to evolving recording tech, evolving instruments, and also just out general restless search for the genuine heaviest matter in the universe, there has been an influx of glistening, cleanly recorded heavy music. With the youth of today being both downtrodden by a growing world, and being left to their own musical devices, its projects like MTXS that begin to surface as a result, and bring with them a wholly new level of intensity to the table.

The first thing that MTXS do is forgo the shiny and chrome finished sound. The buzzsaw tones sound alike their Australian contemporaries, and where bands like LOTUS EATER seem to be taking a lot of the limelight thanks to their grooving and deeply angry compositions, it should be MTXS that takes the attention of the masses. The seething hatred that spews forth from the clipping, distorted guitars and razor blade vocals is tangible, and given that they already have an album behind them, on Ache the young group have sharpened their tools to a lethal edge.

Mould kicks the door down with frightful intent, featuring guttural vocals and a heavy CODE ORANGE influence to boot. The tones are dirty and deep, and as Ache progresses it’ll be more than once that the ominous rumble of the bass begins to loom its’ head, heightening the breakdowns with a genuine sense of dread. There is a confrontational attitude to Ache, and indeed to MTXS in general, that was last seen in this level of intensity back when the aforementioned CODE ORANGE hit the big leagues, and whilst it comes with a white knuckle enjoyment, the threat of violence will be more than enough to put off a number of people.

And this is a deep shame, because beneath the aggression and brutality lies a band with a lot of emotional attachment to their music. The slower passages on the title track shows the band to have an eye for dynamics, and also allows for some of the more poignant lyrics to shine through, offering a chance to assess the constructed chaos of the rest of the album. Ache serves as a rare moment when the slower track actually serves its purpose in offer a moment of respite, given the fact that the longest track here is the final Plague, and it’s barely three and a half minutes.

The thing that shines through the most whenever MTXS play is just how clearly the band have refined every aspect of their sound to achieve the knockout blow they so desperately seek. Ache is a chiselled and well thought out assault that brims with seething ire, even if does feel to be of intelligent design at its most intense. This lacking feeling of effortless violence is worth mentioning, but only in the sense of assuring you that MTXS want you to feel their fury.

Rating: 8/10

Ache is set for release on June 7th via self-release.

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