Friday, March 26, 2010

Human Error / Black Hole of Calcutta split 7"


I received copies of this 7" today for my distro, and I was curious to check out Human Error's new stuff. I had heard a few songs quite some time ago, so I wanted to know if I would like them as much as I remembered, or more. What ended up happening, was that I listened to their side twice in a row! They start off with the kind of intro I'd expect from Extreme Noise Terror, and then a quick countoff, and they begin blasting. The song breaks into a quick charging crust riff, then slows down a little further into a deliberate pounding punk part. The rest of their side continues in this manner: occasional but sustained blasting parts, tons of good crust riffs, and even a few headbobbers.

I flipped the record over to check out Black Hole of Calcutta, despite not being impressed with their previous efforts. This time I was somewhat pleasantly surprised. I own many BHOC records, but always for the other side of them. Usually the drums are great, but the guitar tone irritates me, and makes the whole band sound weak. Like I previously mentioned, the drummer for BHOC is top notch, and they're certainly not lacking in proficiency. Perhaps on this record, the bass is mixed a little higher or something, but whatever it is, it's working for me this time. At the show I'm going to tonight, I'll be recommending this record to my friends.