Car Bomb: W^W^^W^W

Math, mayhem and melody from Long Island loons

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After an ill-fated dalliance with Relapse Records, NY mathcore bruisers Car Bomb return with an explosive, self-released and bafflingly dubbed opus. A record that features multiple moments of extreme mayhem peppered with sweet melodic pay-offs (The Seconds, Spirit Of Poison), the whole experience feels a little like being repeatedly beaten over the head by the Hulk, then going for a beer with Thor afterwards.

The guitars and drums are locked together tighter than a hangman’s noose throughout all 12 tracks and the highlight is the heroic Lower The Blade, which boasts a Chino Moreno-esque vocal hook that’ll stay embedded in your brain for moons.

There are also flashes of the late, great Dimebag at his most experimental on the likes of Gurrucha, shades of IDM on Magic Bullet and Gorija’s Joe Duplantier provides guest vocals on Third Revelation. At 50-ish minutes, W^W^^W^W is the sound of a band at the peak of their powers.