Stolen Babies

Six years after There Be Squabbles Ahead positioned Stolen Babies as members of metal’s experimental vanguard, they still sound provocatively fresh, even without altering their aesthetic or approach. After so many years of relative quiet, it’s surprising to hear the new album unfurl like the work of a band that never left the spotlight. Naught offers the same kind of creepy carnival ride Stolen Babies crafted so well on their 2006 End Records debut, with even better results. The lilting serenades and accordion accompaniment from frontwoman Dominique Lenore Persi are key components of the group’s cabaret quality, with other bits of unconventional instrumentation and songwriting thrown in. But for each passage that rolls rather gently along there’s a simmering, vicious undercurrent ready to erupt, which often do in explosive snarls that can be as deadly as the melodies are sweet. Add in some heavy rhythm section support and Naught comes across as incredibly fun, but also a little sardonic, and all the more rewarding for the contrast.