Mouth of the Architect – The Violence Beneath CD
Translation Loss Records
Every time more than a year goes by since a Mouth of the Architect record I always fear that they may have broken up. Thankfully that is not true as they finally released this new EP two years after their amazing album, Quietly. I guess I shouldn’t worry so much because in looking back, it seems they put out something new every two years and also incur some sort of lineup change in that time, and this time is no different.
The Violence Beneath is Mouth of the Architect’s new four song EP. Like previous records, the songs are very lengthy, though not quite as long as the ones on their previous album. Three of the songs are studio recordings and the other one is live. This EP picks up pretty much where Quietly left off and is a great companion. Their post-metal sound features even more tempo changes than before including some peaceful and somber moments before busting out into their trademark post-apocalyptic crunchy metal. Fans of Neurosis and Isis would find some pleasant similarities in Mouth of the Architect but while those bands seem more organic, these guys sound more desolate and a bit more atmospheric and have enough unique things about them so they don’t sound like some clone of those bands. In fact I’ve been playing Mouth of the Architect’s last album a lot more than I played the last albums from either of those bands.
Despite the power and heaviness, their songs are also quite catchy and you’ll get sucked into certain grooves that just click and captivate you in an almost hypnotic way. The vocals are low-pitched growls and are full of emotion and power which compliments the heavy music perfectly.
Mouth of the Architect is one of my favorite current bands and it’s great to see they are still at it, and are living up to the high standards they set for themselves on their previous releases. This EP is a perfect listen from start to finish and just left me wanting more, hopefully it won’t be another two years before we get some!
Mouth of the Architect on myspace
