Jar'd Loose

I want to enjoy what Chicago, IL noise rockers Jar'd Loose are laying down here on their debut full-length, but one thing just keeps getting in the way: the vocals. Now, being a metal guy, I'm used to tuning out annoying vocalists. Unfortunately, they're not usually quite this grating or in your face. Once past the vocals, however, as difficult as that is considering the guy never stops, it becomes clear that they are a unique and talented band. Somewhere between simple, old school punk/hardcore, noise rock and a kind of tossed-off, Lemmy-loving, late-era Entombed thrashing metal, the songs are simple and catchy. "Rotten Tooth," for example, is full of great riffs that skirt quirky AmRep noise rock and real basic, grimy, lovable regular-Joe death metal. Elsewhere, some of the melodies are unexpected and enjoyable, like on "Busted." Musically this is a winner, but vocally it's just too grating, too loud and too much.