Quell

From initial inspection of the titles and visuals, which boast some of the most simplistic but awesome Fight Club-inspired art (think when they replace the "in case of emergency” instructions), the feeling that Quell would be something special was difficult to ignore. Of course, clever titles and striking visuals have never made a band with shitty music actually listenable, even if they have toured with the Dillinger Escape Plan and Today is the Day, but luckily One Man’s Struggle with the English Language is a strong debut. Hailing from Greensboro, NC, this six-man, three-guitar onslaught quickly bring to mind contemps Curl Up and Die in the way they careen from frantic to languid to alien-sounding while throwing around huge mosh riffs, dystopian dirge, poetic introspection, chaotic noise and seven shades of metallic hostility. But while CUAD remain a touchstone for much of One Man’s Struggle, the fractured start/stop accent patterns of Dillinger and/or Deadguy break things up in a vaguely technical, chaotically sloppy way, while moments of serene rebellion give pause to the rage. While Quell’s touchstones and inspirations can still be discerned despite their artistic pretensions (avoid their myspace.com page bio), they’re competent enough to make a damaging piece of art and show the potential to soon dominate the pack.