Never ones to take themselves (or anyone else) too seriously, Oozing Wound fully embrace their fiercely dismissive view of human society on their third LP, appropriately titled Whatever Forever. The record has irreverence written all over it, shouting out non-existent Rambo movies and poking fun at the quieter side of Black Sabbath in between misanthropic missives about superficiality and destruction.
Oozing Wound have retained the spacey, extraterrestrial edge that has characterized their sound despite taking a more Earth-bound lyrical focus here. Their songs tend to move through three or four parts in succession as circling, repetitive riffs introduce complexity and inertia through their rhythmic interplay. These well-planned structures underscore textured arrangements and offer rewarding dynamic payoffs. The syncopation on "Mercury in Retrograde Virus" gives way to a whirling crescendo of dissonant guitar while "Weather Tamer" prophesizes environmental self-destruction and concludes with an illustrative torrent of harmonics over a chaotic wash of cymbals. "Deep Space" flits between time signatures while reminding us that, "It's all a fake… the purer the intent the purer the deceit."
Spread over three sides of vinyl, the record does threaten to drag a bit despite its sub-50-minute run time. It can feel a little tiring at points, as the music arguably borders on being too dense and involved considering the album's aloof spirit, but Oozing Wound do a good job of sequencing and varying tempos. Cynicism may be exhausting, but hesh is forever.
(Thrill Jockey)Oozing Wound have retained the spacey, extraterrestrial edge that has characterized their sound despite taking a more Earth-bound lyrical focus here. Their songs tend to move through three or four parts in succession as circling, repetitive riffs introduce complexity and inertia through their rhythmic interplay. These well-planned structures underscore textured arrangements and offer rewarding dynamic payoffs. The syncopation on "Mercury in Retrograde Virus" gives way to a whirling crescendo of dissonant guitar while "Weather Tamer" prophesizes environmental self-destruction and concludes with an illustrative torrent of harmonics over a chaotic wash of cymbals. "Deep Space" flits between time signatures while reminding us that, "It's all a fake… the purer the intent the purer the deceit."
Spread over three sides of vinyl, the record does threaten to drag a bit despite its sub-50-minute run time. It can feel a little tiring at points, as the music arguably borders on being too dense and involved considering the album's aloof spirit, but Oozing Wound do a good job of sequencing and varying tempos. Cynicism may be exhausting, but hesh is forever.