Anion

The previous release from Vancouver, BC's Anion was a grotesque, loping seven-inch of sludgy hardcore, Carrion King, full of curdled aggression and sourness. Their first full-length, Without Solace, contains more heat, more freshness to the tone. While Carrion King conjured old wounds and rotting meat, this new record plays like arterial blood just starting to clot. Without Solace strikes a balance between overt slaughter and a pernicious, grating quality that whittles the listener down, leaving you raw in unexpected places. It's easy to focus on the smouldering ruin of "Parathion Cocktail" or the off-kilter bellow of "Closetalker," but it's the creeping moments of gloom, as on "Rotting Bloom," which sneak the knife in between the ribs. At once bloodier and more cunning than their last release, Without Solace is a strong piece of butchery.