In terms of "heavy music," "black metal," "dark hardcore," or whatever labels one needs to put upon things to feel at ease, The Communion are indeed a very special find. I might never have seen them, had I not wandered into the Party Expo this past July, right around the corner from my former domicile in now-so-fashionable Bushwick.
No-faking, gut-churning angst, great songwriting, and an obvious interest in creating something of quality and sincerity are what set The Communion apart from the horde of bands that lean toward the darker sides of self expression. Dramatic, hooky sludge-metal, classic hardcore/thrash, and hi-speed black metal are all easily referenced in The Communion's repertoire, these styles employed naturally and with the apparent ease of just doing what they do, without sounding at all forced or postmodern.
These are some great tracks—catchy, headbanging and deftly constructed. I've been spinning them constantly for the last week and a half, and suggest you do the same.
A million thanks to Diane Kamikaze Farris, for lending her expertise to engineer this powerful session. (You can hear a preview of the upcoming Chiller Theatre Expo tomorrow at noon, and Stranglers' founder Hugh Cornwell live on Diane's show, next Tuesday 10/26.) Thanks as per usual to Tracy Widdess for punching up my photographs of the band.
You can see The Communion live, at Brooklyn's The Acheron, on 10/29. To hear the full, continuous broadcast of The Communion's appearance on My Castle of Quiet, with my usual half-arsed "interview" segment, click here. Deepest thanks to Nick, Billy, Joe and Jimmy.
Aye! Que Doloroso!
Posted by: Shaquille O'Kneel | October 18, 2010 at 02:14 PM