Unsane

Visqueen (Ipecac Recordings)

A A A Comments (0) By Dave Pehling Wednesday, May 30 2007

While most of its New York City noise-rock contemporaries have either smoothed out their abrasive edges or disintegrated altogether, corrosive power trio Unsane has kept its brutal vision intact for nearly two decades. Known for blood-splattered album art that matches the grim music inside, guitarist-singer Chris Spencer, drummer Vinny Signorelli, and bassist Dave Curran elevate their cacophonous template to new heights on Visqueen. "Against the Grain" starts things off with a spare drumbeat and an understated guitar figure before Spencer erupts with a massive riff and the kind of self-loathing vitriol ("I know I fucked up/ I can't make this go away") that's his stock in trade. A blues influence that informed the guitarist's S.F.-based side project Cutthroats 9 takes a more prominent place on the new material, particularly the menacing slide-guitar-and-harmonica gallop of "This Stops at the River" and the grinding dirge of "Windshield." Visqueen delivers a touch more melody than the average Unsane effort, but the album still comes packed with plenty of eviscerating grit and fury to suitably damage the ear canals of longtime fans. — Dave Pehling