Review Summary: Dollmeat serves as another tasty morsel of what’s to come from one of grindcore’s most promising acts.
MouthBreather are no slouches. Less than a year ago the Boston quartet turned heads with
Pig, a blistering seven-minute EP that was as unsettling as it was pummeling. On
Pig, MouthBreather weaved
Prowler In the Yard-esque samples and sinister effects between tracks to create an uneasy atmosphere. While they were largely successful, doing it within the frame of seven minutes made it feel like unnecessary bloat on such a short release. With this year’s
Dollmeat, the band decide to let the music do the talking and while it is only four minutes longer than its predecessor, it has an even bigger bite. Backed by some of Kurt Ballou’s best work behind the boards, MouthBreather come out swinging with one of 2018’s finest grindcore releases that is both deliberately chaotic and downright terrifying.
It’s hard not to imagine vocalist Anthony Santagati roaming the halls of a psych-ward in tattered clothing with his eyes being ejected from his skull as he belts out blood curdling shrieks on songs like “Anorexisitentialist” and “Milk/***/Dirt.” Opener “Denim Jacket” and “Feeding Time” waste no time with introductions and swell with dissonant and frantic riffing that would soften even the strictest students of mathcore. MouthBreather’s latest installment is a worthy addition to their slim yet devastating catalogue.
Dollmeat is a focused release that plays on the band’s strengths and sees them excel at everything that made
Pig a compelling listen just months prior. It will be exciting to see what the band will craft when it comes time for them to unleash a full-length record, but as of right now
Dollmeat serves as a tasty morsel of what’s to come from one of heavy music’s most promising acts.
