Agoraphobic Nosebleed – Arc

A Grindcore take on Doom that actually won’t give you a nosebleed

When it comes to drum machine grindcore bands, Agoraphobic Nosebleed are the veterans to learn from. Though drum programmer Scott Hull has been the only original member since the band’s inception in 1994, his current lineup of formerly rotated band members touts a sage diligence that could only be attained through participation in other bands of the like, considering two of the members are still in Pig Destroyer (Hull and bassist John Jarvis). Names from Salome and Japanese Torture Comedy Hour are just a couple of the bands that have seen inclusion from Agoraphobic Nosebleed’s other members.

But what almost holds more lure than Agoraphobic Nosebleed’s past, is what they’re aiming to achieve in their present. Conceptually, the band is set to produce a total of four albums in 2016, with each focusing on one individual member of the band at a time. Arc, the first in the series, fixates on vocal metal hero Kat Katz. There are only three songs on Arc, but each showcase her epically brutal vocality.

The first single released was album opener “Not a Daughter,” with a repeatedly appealing riff that somehow seamlessly blends a southern rock sort of sound with Katz’s doom metal lineage, coming from Salome. “Deathbed” begins hard with a drum machine beat that sounds absolutely nothing of the sort. Agoraphobic Nosebleed have made their career as lasting as it has on the basis of that drum machine, and though Hull was tackling doom metal as opposed to his usual grind tendencies, his ability to switch it up successfully proves his mastery. Nonetheless, neither of the two tracks (or the gritty oeuvre of “Gnaw,” the album’s almost 12 minute long closing track) outshine Katz’s vocal ability, which was the intended point of Arc to begin with.

It’s not exactly confirmed when the next Agoraphobic Nosebleed albums will be coming out, or which members of the band will take the lead on them respectively. If Arc is any indication of what’s the come, it’s sure to be a treat.