Echoes and dust

Albums that are banned for their lurid depictions of murder scenes, members lost through drug overdoses, dark blundering behemoths with overly distorted screeching vocals? No, we're not entering some parallel GG Allin world we're entering the world of Unsane.

After hearing the song ‘Slag’ on john Peel when I was about 15 I knew I needed the self titled album but there was no chance I could get it - it was banned due to the nature of the front cover (a man decapitated by a train - body one side of the line, head the other - nice!). Then one day whilst flicking my way through the indie section of an independent purveyor of records in Devon - there it was, in Devon!! How the devil had it ended up here? Whose rolly-tarnished fingers had this managed to slip through? Why in God's good name was it in 'Indie'? At this point indie stood for Galaxy 500, Stone Roses, Blur, etc and there is no way Unsane fitted into that bracket.

After its release in '91 Unsane suffered the setback of the drug overdose of drummer Charles Ondras. Former Swans and Foetus drummer Vinny Signorelli climbed aboard and they band began composing their next album, their first for Atlantic Records and the low commotion under scrutiny here - 'Total Destruction'.

The title of the album and first track 'Body Bomb' hint at the mood of this album - don't expect to be skipping through a field of flowers, humming delicately along with your iPod. From the offset it's like being bludgeoned to the head with a lead pipe, it's seething, ferocious and unsettling. Chris Spencer's screech is uncomfortable to say the least, displaying the type of anguish and aggression you'd expect to hear if someone had just been told of the death of their only child - this is not for the weak. See for example 'Trench', the (barely audible) lyrics scream the orders 'Stay / Down / Stay / On the ground' and probably refer to the orders shouted during war but is also what I imagine the noise to be in a serial killer's mind, as he's stalking and killing his prey - not pretty. Also 'S.O.S' which is filled with waves of distorted guitar and bass, 'It's all the same shit going down' sings Spencer. The vocals sounding like they're sung through a really small guitar amp and recorded in a squat, in a room with one bare light and decorated by faeces. They're barely discernible but it all adds to the atmosphere of alienation, aggravation and getting by any which way you can.

'Straight' is anything but a straight ahead song like the title suggests. Instead it’s filled with angular guitar noise, a maelstrom of drumming and awesome energy, simply put it's vicious. 'Black Book' continues the formula but adds a grumbling dirge to it, resulting in a track that could be the soundtrack to the approach of imminent war, as does 'Broke'. 'Road Trip' slightly changes the formula. Although it's brutal it has a much more traditional time signature, and could almost fit in the grunge section of a record shop. It’s packed with deadened strings being scraped as the snare snaps and lead guitar wails. This is ferocious stuff - think twice before you get in a car to go on a long journey with these guys!!

'455' is the big finale and if I ever hear a bigger bass sound than this then I'll buy ALL of you a pint - even you Salter! The bass is backed by the sound of deep motorbike revving and spoken commentary. Again scraped guitars also feature in the mess, this time making use of harmonics. The easiest comparison would be Shellac if Albini had taken a load of testosterone supplements! It stalks and suddenly ends - not the big finale expected then but one that leaves you salivating for more.

One criticism that could be levelled at the album is that it's a one trick pony so if you're looking for loads of dynamics or loads of effects pedals you'd best be going elsewhere. This is the sound of 3 men tearing apart their instruments with no frills but plenty of passion. The tracks don't build up or go on a journey they immediately smack you in the ear and there's just no respite, you'll need nerves of steel to get through this baby. Minimal, brutal, confrontational, visceral and monumental - to miss out would be Unsane!