ALBUM REVIEW: Garbers Days Revisited – Inter Arma

INTER ARMA are not a band to trouble themselves with expectations. For nearly 15 years their caustic blend of death/black/post/sludge (and everything in between) metal has seen them tear through the ranks of the metal underground, their fearless and ferocious experimentation and vision when executing releases including 2016’s Paradise Gallows and 2019’s Sulphur English has won them critical and fan esteem alike.

That said, their unexpected release of Garbers Days Revisited, an eclectic covers album in homage to their practice space (fitting, an homage album full of homages), was certainly a curve ball, in terms of its existence and some of the song choices the band have included. But then, surely a band who spit in the eye of the expected doing something unexpected is to be expected?

Heavy bands who do covers tend to proceed in one of two ways – bending the original tracks to their will and channelling them into their own style (see THOU‘sversion of NIRVANA‘s Endless Nameless) or bands sticking as close to the original as possible to honour its influence (see MASTODON‘s version of THE MELVIN‘s The Bit). Interestingly, INTER ARMA offer up a little from Column A and a little from Column B here.

The band’s version of MINISTRY‘s Scarecrow channels the original’s industrial machine-stamp pounding and grinding repetition through a more organic lense, room sounds and smatterings of electronics adding an airier feel. Bass and drums relentlessly slog as guitars swagger, Mike Paparo‘s layered clean droning and harsh growling vocals breaking through. NEIL YOUNG‘s Southern Man maintains the swagger and extended instrumental break but has the grit turned way up, piloted by steady snare work that grows to climactic drum rolls as a spiralling guitar trade off takes flight.

CRO-MAG‘s Hard Times is played straight, roughed up a little around the edges with savage, chugging palm muting and racing double kicks. March Of The Pigs has Paparo doling out breathy, near-whispered croons a-la Trent Reznor, with the rest of the band loping through buzzsaw riffing and pulsing drums that near perfectly mirror NINE INCH NAILS‘ knife-edge intensity. HUSKER DU‘s The Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill might seem a left field pull, but the breathless blast beats and straight black metal drive INTER ARMA spin off into is a glorious perversion, ending on a single triumphant note.

In League With Satan mirrors VENOM‘s original down to the camp, dripping sarcastic menace and glorious reverb from the tribal drums to the evil guitar wails. There’s clear affection behind Runnin Down A Dream, bass growling like a motor as it powers the track at pace, Paparo‘s wistful vocals echoing TOM PETTY‘s original lines. It’s every bit as bright and relentlessly positive as the original, fast as fuck solo and triumphant, shimmering close out included – it’s arguably the most electric cut on here.

Closer Purple Rain (we’d be insulting you if we felt the need to tell you who it was by) is perhaps a microcosm of what the record as a whole might stand for. Chiming, effects drenched guitars move unhurriedly, vocals rushed so fast as to be unintelligible. It’s all tongue in cheek, chintzy synths, silky smooth soloing and slowly waltzing bombast ticking the original’s boxes, but it’s sleaze rather than seduction.

Two questions are naturally asked of covers – the first, ‘is it good’? Garbers Days Revisited is undeniably a collection of well executed covers. One could expect no less from INTER ARMA – although they don’t pull us down to the subterranean depths they’re capable of, they don’t need to. The band’s influences and love for these artists and these tracks is palpable, and they’re worth listening to even if you’re unfamiliar with the originals.

Second question then – ‘is it necessary’? A full covers album is usually the province of the completionist, and while that could be arguably the case here, what Garbers Days Revisited is is a much needed reminder that individuals come together to play music they love, inspired by a shared sonic palette of artists and ideas, for the sheer joy of playing it. And right now, with the world as it is, we could all do with sharing in that sheer escapist joy.

Rating: 7/10

Garbers Days Revisited is out now via Relapse Records.

For more information on INTER ARMA like their official page on Facebook.