Review Summary: I don't know how many times, But I’ve been here before.
Lowell, MA’s Mouthbreather are back with another helping of their signature dizzying blend of nu-metal, mathgrind, and hardcore (affectionately self-abbreviated to “Gadget Metal ''). After some soul searching and line up changes during their 2018 EP tour cycle (“ Dollmeat”), Mouthbreather would find their voice on their 2021 debut album “I’m Sorry Mr. Salesman”, which due to label/release related troubles was never properly recognized for its comfortable use of pacing and dynamics. Although weaving through archaic subgenres of metal long rendered trite, “Salesman” painted an endearing spastic collage. Familiar yet distinct, Mouthbreather continue to perpetuate their strengths and their flaws on their sophomore album “Self Tape”.
So if it’s not broken, why fix it? The cardinal sin of a Mouthbreather release has always been its brevity, while its foremost strength lies on its replay value. From lead single and album opener “Ethical Hunting”, It’s clear the boys are here to take our lunch money again. The shouts of vocalist Brett Cates and bassist Derek Lamoreaux wrap the listener in a violent self aware psychosis, barking “hunt” “vow” to suddenly usher in a violent pummeling of drumming and guitar shifting so cacophonous, the root notes of the song can barely be heard. This layering is used effectively throughout the whole album more than their debut, and in their single’s case is used to further contrast the verse/chorus/verse/chorus. You can thank the guitar for that. Whenever the rhythm section occupies space in a Mouthbreather song’s run time, it invokes the ferocity of sticking your shoes in a dryer whereas the guitar is so much more nuanced. In any given song it can interrupt a crunchy riff with a “reet” or a “woot” sound that is essential to divide the low end slams of this album. When absent from a song’s section, the guitar emits a feedback so shrill you’ll feel like you didn’t take your medication again. Follow up heater “Imaginary Skin” interrupts its groovy Korn-esque flow with a clean/sexy pitch shifted guitar section furthering the diversity of Mouthbreather’s realized guitar sound. Despite each song’s tonal diversity and pallet of ideas, each song flows seamlessly into the next. My favorite example of this comes in the shortest song “Rot Out”. Immediately cut from the stomp fest closing riff of “Idoctor”, it connects to the spindly lead of “I Know Best” almost seamlessly. Each song begs for a full album listen and does not stand as well alone as they did on previous releases because of these transitions. The familiarity of previous MB tricks and riffs might also be a detractor to some songs' autonomy whether intentional or not. The structure of closing anthem “Solemate” is highly reminiscent of a song from the band’s first EP “Tourniquet” while the anatomy of “Shotgun Funeral”s groove and the “Idoctor” riff are too close for comfort. Even yet it is hard to think of these as blemishes and flaws due to Mouthbreather’s use of motifs instrumentally and vocally.
In the end, is “Self Tape” a mission statement? A revolutionary genre chimera furthering music history? No, but it’s pretty damn fun. Mouthbreather with “Self Tape” have shown they can continue to make music of the same quality as their debut and frankly that’s all they really need to do.
