Unsane - Wreck

Its been 5 years since the last release from NYC's noise rock legends, Unsane. I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I've been counting down the days since a release date for Wreck was announced.

I've walked a long road with this bands music in my headphones through many phases of my life. To be honest, I've been listening to Unsane longer than I have most hardcore bands. This is thanks to a close friend of mine with whom I grew up. We used to skateboard and listen to punk/metal records... most of which were new to me. One day he let me borrow a copy of 1993's Total Destruction and I was instantly hooked upon hearing the opening track 'Body Bomb'.



Being that my favorite band at the time was Helmet, I already had a taste for this style of noisy aggressive rock music. In my opinion, Helmet and Unsane were cut from the same cloth... but Unsane really pushed for a much more aggressive sonic quality to their music than Helmet did. The thunderous drumming coupled with grimey bass tones set the stage for the bluesy, yet scathing guitar work of mastermind Chris Spencer to shine. From those formative years in my early musical life nearly 20 years ago, I knew that this band was something truly special. Several years later when watching Headbangers Ball with that same friend... there was an announcement that they would be showing a brand new Unsane video for the song 'Scrape' from their at the time new record Scattered, Smothered and Covered. This record not only had a lasting effect on my friend and I... but ultimately changed our lives.



Over the next 10 years (aside from a brief hiatus in the early 2000's), Unsane continued to release absolutely stellar records one after the other. There aren't many bands out there that you can honestly say have no weak links in their chain of releases. Unsane is the first that comes to mind. From their early demo material through the records mentioned above all the way through Occupational Hazard, Blood Run and 2007's Visqueen this band has set the bar for the definition of consistency.

Here I am today... listening to a brand new Unsane record. As an avid fan, it is hard for me to remain unbiased in this review but that really wouldn't matter because Wreck is yet another titanium link in Unsane's chain. From the slow and solemn tone of 'Decay' to the more urgent and angry 'Ghost', every track on this record has its own character and distinct attributes. I have to say though, the true standout cut is 'Stuck'. Through the nearly 7 minutes you are repeatedly lulled with droning clean guitar progressions layered with bluesy leads only to be crushed by the massive choruses. This sonic sway back and forth is incredibly refreshing and only further fuels my excitement for this band. Another great point of this record is the phenomenal cover of the classic Flipper song 'Ha Ha Ha'. I love when a band tackles another groups material and truly makes it their own... and that is absolutely the case here.

The bottom line is that there are very few bands that stand the test of ti

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