Arson Anthem

Barbarism is a minimalist mentality, a baser impulse that relies on little more than immediate instinctual need and guttural inertia to achieve desired results. As a general rule, first generation hardcore was steeped in barbarism, united with frustration and angst, a volatile mixture that resulted in vicious, voracious music that was as expedient and heavy as it was emotionally charged and borderline cacophonous. All of these aspects epitomize the work of Arson Anthem (a legitimate aggressive music super-group featuring vocalist Mike Willams, guitarist Phil Anselmo, bassist Colin Yeo and drummer Hank Williams III) on their eponymous debut, a molten blast of primordial chug riffs, explosive drums and ravenous screeching. Fearing the band might succumb to a semblance of sophomore jinx with follow-up Insecurity Notoriety, however, is almost an embarrassing, needless worry. Embracing the exact sentiments and innate sensibilities on this immaculate effort as their debut, they are nothing but beautifully barbaric. While songs do expand on their predecessors, to some extent, it's not very much other than Williams utilizing more of a raspy scream than his previous throaty bellow. Moreover, each of these tunes is just as primitive and congenitally bombastic as one would hope and expect, ranging anywhere from the ephemeral blast of opener "Naught," in its 31 seconds of glory, through to "Teach The Gun (To Love The Bullet)," delivered over a whopping 3:52 blast of rage. Despite being three times as long as Arson Anthem, Insecurity Notoriety is still a no-frills assault, standing at an expeditious 30 minutes over the course of 17 brutally engaging tracks.