CoC : Lethargy - Discography '93-'99 : Review

Lethargy - _Discography '93-'99_
(Spoth, 2000)
by: Brian Meloon (10 out of 10)

The on-again-off-again career of Lethargy appears to finally be over. As a final tribute, Spoth records released this double CD, which is basically everything they've ever recorded. Included are their 1996 album _It's Hard to Write With a Little Hand_ [CoC #14], the _Humor Me_ demo [1995, CoC #4], the _Tainted_ demo (my personal favorite, 1994), the _Lost in This Existence_ demo (1993), the two songs from the Watchmen comps [1997 and 1998, CoC #27], three songs from 1999, and the unplugged version of "Lost in This Existence" from their split with Big Hair (1994). It adds up to 32 songs, clocking in at a whopping 133 minutes. Their style can be described as "palsycore", meaning that it's a hardcore/metal hybrid with spastic riff and tempo changes and little regular song structure. Human Remains would be a good comparison, though Lethargy are generally less extreme and more convoluted. Their riffs aren't always technical, but the way they are organized makes for a challenging listen. Riffs are thrown together in a hodge-podge style, with no thought given to song flow or development. But impressively, the band is rock solid even for the most difficult sections, where the riffs last only a few seconds each. And this lack of structure is itself a structure, giving the band their distinctive sound. Fans of technical and quirky death metal should pick this up. Highest recommendations.

(article published 10/1/2001)

ALBUMS
11/10/1996	B Meloon	9	Lethargy - It's Hard to Write With a Little Hand

DEMOS
8/11/1995	B Meloon		Lethargy - Humor Me, You Funny Little Man

GIGS
11/10/1996	B Meloon	Lethargy / Forward Now / Time's Up	Anything But Lethargic