ALBUM REVIEW: Shame – Uniform

New York underground favourites UNIFORM have made quite the name for themselves since their formation in 2013. The group released their debut album Perfect World to critical acclaim in 2015. Since then they have released two more studio albums, an EP, and two collaborations and a live album with fellow underground darlings THE BODY. Shame is UNIFORM‘s fourth studio album; much like their previous releases, it reveals a band unafraid of evolution. On this release, UNIFORM ask the question: “What if the antihero in your favourite film or book had no chance to repent, reconcile, or redeem himself?” The result is an unsurprisingly bleak, yet utterly captivating 34 minutes.

Shame is UNIFORM‘s second studio album to feature a live drummer, this time in the form of Mark Sharp. As on 2018’s The Long Walk, the addition of live drums adds further heaviness to the group’s already oppressive industrial sound. More importantly, they bring an element of consistency to a release that weaves together various genres and styles.

The album grabs listeners by the throat from the beginning. First track Delco opens in a world of feedback and stomping drums, as singer Michael Berdan barks: “You are what you’ve done, You are what’s been done to you”. Feedback gives way to driving riffs, and Sharp soon shows off his heavy hitting drum style as he closes out the track alone under Berdan’s savage vocals.

From there UNIFORM take the listener on a tour of a range of styles of metal, all while maintaining their trademark industrial crunch. The Shadow Of God’s Hands features a burst of pure thrash metal sandwiched by Master Of Reality-era BLACK SABBATH style riffs. Life In Remission explodes with black metal blast beats and tremolo picking before descending into a wall of noise. The album’s title track combines live and electronic drums to give it a GODFLESH-esque drive. It also has some more melodic elements in the form of a post-punk style guitar part from guitarist/producer Ben Greenberg. The album has several other moments of melody, again mostly from Greenberg‘s guitar parts. While they can sometimes be difficult to pick out, these are a welcome inclusion amid Shame‘s bleak industrial atmosphere.

While All We’ve Ever Wanted continues the oppressive stomp of its predecessor, the following track, Dispatches From The Gutter, couldn’t be more different. At 1:54, it is the shortest song the band have ever released, and one of the fastest. UNIFORM have always maintained a hardcore ethos, and their punk influences are heard throughout their discography, but never before have these influences been so pronounced. The main riff brings to mind hardcore pioneers BAD BRAINS, and Berdan‘s vocals are completely unhinged.

It is not just on Dispatches that Berdan shines, his entire performance is stunning. In a first, Berdan made a conscious decision to include lyrics on Shame, something he previously guarded “like personal diary entries” for years. The decision has definitely paid off. Throughout the album, Berdan cuts an attention-grabbing figure akin to Jake Bannon, Al Jourgensen, or even Keith Flint. His performance also helps Shame to feel like a cohesive album. His abrasive vocals serve as a consistent presence as the band veer between different styles and genres. For a group as capable as UNIFORM, this is much-needed, turning Shame from what could become a collection of songs into a complete work.

Shame closes on the near eight-minute tour de force I Am The Cancer. This song shows how well UNIFORM can touch on multiple genres without losing their sense of identity. The first half flits between atmospheric black metal and more straight ahead thrashy hardcore. The band then slow to more doomy riffing, before introducing cleaner melodic guitars and a guitar solo. The track ends in a wash of trademark noise with Berdan‘s maniacal vocals still ringing in the listener’s ears.

In another first for UNIFORM, Shame wasn’t mixed by Greenberg. Mixing duties were instead handled by producer Randall Dunn, known for his work with MYRKUR, SUNN O)), and WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM. Clearly no stranger to working with bleak, atmospheric acts, Dunn‘s production enhances and adds further cohesion to the album.

If there is one small criticism of Shame, it is that there isn’t much dynamic variation. However, UNIFORM avoid outstaying their welcome with a short runtime. The obvious wide range of influences and merging of genres also ensure the listener never loses interest. Overall, this is an album which continues to reward listeners long after first listen. It’s a consolidation of many of the elements in UNIFORM‘s already impressive back catalogue, and should cement them as one of the most exciting acts in alternative music.

Rating 9/10

Shame is set for release on September 11th via Sacred Bones.

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