Rabies Caste

Israel's (via Russia), favourite (only?) metallic sludge purveyors Rabies Caste return with their full-length debut for Earache, Let the Soul Out and Cut the Vein. Heavily (verging on too much so) drenched in the metallic noise scrapings of the mighty Unsane (their most dominant and identifiable influence), mixed with fair amounts of Godflesh's angular discord, Bloodlet's sinister sound and Helmet's most distraught expulsions, Rabies Caste strive for the complexity and collapsing star density of Isis and Neurosis, but fall just short of this lofty goal. However, this in no way diminishes the glorious grinding noise that Rabies Caste unleash on Let the Soul Out... Abrasive, raw, ominous, threatening and punishing, tracks such as "Got it from Blake," "The Bleeding Mermaid" and "Out of this Solar System" are sonic sandpaper, scraping the skin in an aural bloodletting not heard since the Unsane corroded under its own hostility. However, Rabies Caste's strength is also their biggest flaw, as they never waver from their single-minded metallic pursuit, besides occasionally altering the tempo, marginally, which translates into a monotony that wears as the album unravels, rendering the first half amazing and the second tedious. The vocals also suffer from this single-mindedness, as they never deviate from their screamed/yelled assault, again furthering the decent into repetitious tedium. However, these are genre problems that have afflicted even the innovators at one time or another, and if Rabies Caste can incorporate more diversity into their musical scope, they may achieve the pinnacle of abrasion and density that they are grasping for.