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The Sawtooth Grin
Cuddlemonster


3.5
great

Review

by Dancin' Man USER (40 Reviews)
November 1st, 2005 | 279 replies


Release Date: 2001 | Tracklist


Like a few bands around these days, The Sawtooth Grin plays a sort of grind/hardcore/spazz/technical genre that has yet to get a real name so we just lump them into whatever fits best out of whats available. As a reviewer here, grind is not an option so I went with either hardcore or metalcore. Nothing however, would be 100% accurate. Cuddlemonster is a fury of speed and technicality with some very interesting riffs that I as a fan of the genre latch on to but most people would just view as a flurry of notes.

From the opening midi video game notes of 'Give me the Amulet You Bitch' we hear speed and then we hear the band with one of their very cool, dissonantly melodic riffs. The thing that makes this band great is their ability to write these riffs that by conventional standards are quite dissonant but are built in such a way that we hear a melody. Unlike other band of this genre, it is not lightning speed fast, but compared to most other bands and music in general it's pretty zippy. The band seems quite tight with often unusal timings and rhythms. There is the proper ammount of repetition so that you can hear the part but no get bored of it. One thing I really like about these songs and songwriting are the short, undistorted passages thrown in to break up the songs. THey may only be 1 or 2 measures long but the lack of drums and distortion add a nice effect.

In other reviews I've read, the vocalist is a complaint. I however, really like him. He has a very high pitched and overly distorted scream that suits the music really well, especially in terms of the mix. It doesn't interfere with the guitars by soaking up the midtones and is so high pitched that it clear the guitars riffs. It is also fairly low in the mix so it never overpowers and becomes more like one of the instruments rather than something the producer saw as infinitely more important than the music which, in the genre at least, it never is. Basically, I'd dig this guy in my band.

Each track is quite good and worth a listen and the shortness of the album, (7 songs in under 16 minutes) while aggravating because I like long albums, is nice for two reasons. One, this music can't work correctly on a long album because the assault would cease to be as effective at about half an hour and it allows for more listens. Unfortunately, I've hear rumors the band has broken up but all the info about them on the internet seems to have been deleted making my job as a researcher harder than I like it.

If I had to reccomend tracks, I'd say "Sometimes She Tasted Like Burnt Plastic Smells" and "Please Shit All Over Me, I Love It: are the two but at 16 minutes, I say find the whole album and listen to that.(it is quickly becoming very ahrd to find to purchase)



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user ratings (230)
3.7
great
other reviews of this album
Rev (4)
The Sawtooth Grin succeed in supplying an album that is both ridiculously fun and technically satisf...

Confessed2005 (4)
An impressive album, featuring all the classic ingredients to make a fine math/grind outing....

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Comments:Add a Comment 
Shadows
Moderator
November 2nd 2005


2530 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

I've heard this. Crazy, crazy stuff indeed. I liked some of it (surprisingly) and I find the song titles amusing.



Another thing I heard about were the vocals. Someone told me the guy has what's called "polyphonic vocal chords" which allows him to go from a normal voice to an intesely high pitched shriek. I've searched and couldn't confirm it, but this guy can scream higher than Dani Filth.

Dancin' Man
November 2nd 2005


719 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

I wish I could do that. It is really awesome and not annoying like Dani Filth's voice tends to get. I think the excess of distortion helps.

Arrakakaka
November 12th 2005


685 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Their vocalist sounds higher than Converge's vocalist. And Jacob Bannon has a high shriek. But this is very fun to listen to, and original.This Message Edited On 11.12.05

Dancin' Man
November 13th 2005


719 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

A local band looking for a new vocalist posted audio of Sawtooth Grin as an example of what they wish they could have as vocals.

Arrakakaka
November 13th 2005


685 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Good luck to them then.



And didn't these guys break up?This Message Edited On 11.13.05

Dancin' Man
November 13th 2005


719 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Yes. It was sad.

Arrakakaka
November 13th 2005


685 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

That sucks. They'd be great additions to any bands.

Dancin' Man
November 27th 2005


719 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Attention: Human Torch, one of the bands that The Sawtooth Grin became, is breaking up tomorrow. Cloacal Kiss is still together.

Jawaharal
November 27th 2005


1832 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

OH NO!!!!!!

Arrakakaka
November 27th 2005


685 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

What the balls? That sucks.



I could interrogate war prisoners with this. Like, break 'em down. Give me 10 minutes or less. I heard about our military using Eminem to interrogate Iraqi prisoners anyway. But The Sawtooth Grin would work waaaaaaay better.

masada
November 27th 2005


2733 Comments


No way.

Dillenger is better. Play them "43% Burnt" or "Panasonic Youth" and then we'll see how long they last.

Jawaharal
November 27th 2005


1832 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Nah, Melt Banna would make em speak. No one can stand her voice.

Happymeal
December 11th 2005


330 Comments


Or Deerhoof's vocalist. But I like them both.

Interesting, this band.

Arrakakaka
December 16th 2005


685 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Fix the year. It says 200_, and it keeps on popping up in the new releases column.

204409
Emeritus
December 17th 2005


3998 Comments


This sounds fun. This sounds a lot of like it would appeal to Genghis Tron fans.

Also, Shadows Fallen, I'm pretty sure "polyphonic vocal chords" are some trait some people are born with. Anybody can create polyphonism as my jazz teacher proved to our class last weak. I'm sure some vocal cords are more condusive to the process but it's not like this guy is some polyphonic prodigy.

Dancin' Man
December 17th 2005


719 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

well every person has 2 sets of vocal chords. Just one of them is under developed. He may just have a weird voice. I need to meet him. Cloacal Kiss had a show around ehre but cancelled it.

dan6653
January 20th 2006


16 Comments


great ny grind band , good guys too

LOOK Daean said
February 5th 2006


14 Comments


This band pwns the grind scene hands down.
no one has a voice like this shit,
and the jazz parts of the songs just make it perfection.

Pete
March 6th 2006


188 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Another one of those "I almost wanna give it 4.5" albums... But this is just too short to warrant a 4.5. I love it though, it's so deliciously dissonant, but breaks into melody seamlessly. It's awesome.

Gnarmageddon
March 19th 2006


28 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

I loves me some Sawtooth Grin. The only thing bad about this album is it's too short.



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