Glass and Ashes

With the massive image of a Great White Shark adorning its cover, Aesthetic Arrest indeed gives off the feeling that the record may swallow you whole (or perhaps, in smaller, more digestible pieces). As the sound of an ambulance siren blares in the background on opener "Black beneath the Eyes,” the band kicks right in with a driving, tom-heavy drum assault accompanied by chugging guitars, before a breakdown into full-on sonic insanity and the introduction of deep, full bass. The song that eventually forms around the noise is one whose energy is comparable to Repeater-era Fugazi, with wailing vocals that retain a similarity to the gruff approach of spiritual cousins Planes Mistaken For Stars. As the album progresses, it becomes clear that both bands share a sound which includes the roughness of early punk rock, but Glass and Ashes meld more straight rock‘n’roll influences into the mix. Tracks like "Dividing Line” feature some intense riffs that could quite possibly sound just as at home on a more mainstream rock recording, but the unique, off-kilter drum beat that backs them, and the preceding brutality of the vocals, make it clear that this is not a band gunning for serious radio play. At the same time, by not limiting themselves musically, the band has the ability to grasp out to other, less-punk genres for musical inspiration, only to bring them back home to their own wonderfully dirty punk rock lair.