LIGHTNING SHARKS - LIFE IS A HIDEOUS THING
LIGHTNING SHARKS – LIFE IS A HIDEOUS THING Bristol-based group Lightning Sharks’ debut EP Life is a Hideous Thing offers toothsome insights into the evolution of the category formatively known as noise rock. As a novel outgrowth of the phylum, it splices brutal prog into posthuman hardcore. A fitting synthesis of this lurks in the instrumental section of the opening track, 'Below The Snakes'. From 0’48 to 1’26, the listener is bombarded with a melange of Messiaen organ chorales played by classic prog's most polytonality-inclined offerings: Zappa/Magma/Gentle Giant/Van der Graaf Generator. Busy and stimulating = agitating. Photo: Laure Noverraz 2021 The hiccup dynamics carry a minor System of a Down blemish/association, and lead vocalist Rixon never strays from the de rigueur bestial growl tonality of black metal. The avant-metal/avant-blues/noise rock nexus isn't devoid of artists capable of nuance within a blackened or bestial aesthetic: Atthila Csihar; Oxbow