Whores.

Gold

BY Natalie Zina WalschotsPublished Oct 28, 2016

8
There are lots of different ways that heavy music can be heavy. It can be aggressive, or brutal, or mean; it can be horrifying or sadistic or difficult or agonizing. Atlanta, Georgia noise rock outfit Whores. (period included!) explore many of these registers, but on their latest record, Gold, they are, above all else, cathartic. The pain this trio put you through is a deeply desired, profoundly satisfying kind of suffering, the kind that lets you scream and ugly cry and expunge every evil feeling, leaving you exhausted and ruined but somehow lighter, cleaner for its passing.
 
Donnie Adkinson's drumming is positively disciplinary, a kind of graceful punishment, and the guitar tone has a body-rattling intensity that's weirdly soothing in its abrasive intensity. Christian Lembach's vocal performance is gleefully violent, skirting the line between emotionally authentic and sneeringly sarcastic. "Mental Illness as a Mating Ritual" and "Baby Teeth" are gut punches, raking you over the coals and willing to pull out a toenail or two.
 
There's an evil sense of humour here too, as "I See You Are Also Wearing a Black T-Shirt" is definitely laughing at you while you're bleeding. Yet, you can't help but appreciate that your suffering is in fact pretty fucking funny; sometimes, the best cure for what ails you is a good beating, and Gold delivers beautifully.
(eOne)

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