CoC : Today I Caught the Plague - Ms. Mary Mallon : Review

Today I Caught the Plague - _Ms. Mary Mallon_
(Independent, 2009)
by: Quentin Kalis (7 out of 10)

The mathcore newbies' debut contains the sine qua non off-kilter rhythms and abrupt shifts, resonating with influences from across the metal spectrum. The result is nothing short of an aural salad that strongly risks descending into random riff-o-rama, yet somehow manages to avoid this through sheer dynamism and compelling songwriting. The most prominent weaknesses is the production -- vocals are simply too high in the mix, very irritating and unnecessary when there is so much happening musically, although bass would benefit from greater audibility. This can probably by attributed to the record's self-produced status (which is unlikely to be a problem for much longer) but as enthralling as their music is, the songs do tend to "bleed" into each other. Consequently, this is not as impressive as it could have been, but solid enough to cause more than a ripple in the metal pond.

Contact: http://www.myspace.com/todayicaughttheplague

(article published 8/12/2009)