Welcome to the Grungle

Strange Peace is a very fitting album title for the latest project by Metz, whose music is best described as noise rock. These are songs for the angsty, the grungy, the Harrys in The Order of the Phoenix, the low-key emo kids, and those who need to thrash their head around. Whether or not the rage-filled, troubled souls who needed to hear this music (made by equally rage-filled, troubled souls) wanted to relate to the lyrics, they certainly aren’t given an easy chance to understand said lyrics, as both the noisy nature of the instrumentals and the muffled yelling of the singer(s) make for unintelligible words.

The flow of this album is not critical, and any track could be swapped for any track in regards to where on the list of eleven it goes. “Caterpillar,” arguably the best track, comes fourth, near enough to the middle that the album has a semi-nice arc to it. Curious though are the two interlude-length numbers, “Escalator Teeth” and “Dig a Hole,” placed right next to each other right before the end. Usually, if an album has more than one short song, they are positioned a little farther apart, effectively giving the listener the right dose of variety. But frankly, it sounds like Metz don’t care whether or not they are adhering to anything “usual” or “typical” when it comes to music in general.

“Caterpillar,” features 5/4 time signature, adding one beat to ubiquitous 4/4 or common time, and lays off on the “I am dead inside” vocal sound. It’s a top contender for the first recommendation for a listen from this album because it’s the most emotional track of the bunch. “Lost in the Blank City,” the track that follows, has a unique repeating rhythm that also helps to separate itself from the fray of run-of-the-mill punk beats but, just like the rest of the album, it is an installment in the angst diaries.

The listeners get teased three times in this album: two are in the previously mentioned short songs (“Escalator Teeth” and “Dig a Hole”), which are both more comfortable listens than the majority of the album yet run off and hide after only a minute and a half each; the third tease is a track called “Sink.” Initially sizing up to its distorted friends, “Sink” soon changes pace to a calmer track, with a simple-yet-tasty guitar line in the background.

For a punk or noise rock fan, this is a solid collection of tunes worth giving a spin. If such genres don’t appeal as much, then at least lend ears to “Caterpillar,” a creepy crawly treat won’t break any grunge-meters.