Spectres - Dying

The opening squall, 90 seconds of nails falling into a steel container, opens Spectres new release, the appropriately titled Dying. This band from Bristol do atmosphere and droning to support their approach to noise-metal quite nicely. This is a loud, abrasive, apocalyptic album that any fan of noise a la Sonic Youth will greatly appreciate.

Spectres do not follow in the footsteps of those electronic tinkerers of noise-rock such as A Place to Bury Strangers and the like, but generate the noise from industrial-strength guitars that blend drones with actual melodies to conjure up flashbacks to Catherine Wheel, as on the track 'Blood in the Cups'. While Spectres doesn't have a 'Black Metallic' or comparable 'Texture' on Dying, they come damn near close on the aforementioned song and such blistering tracks as 'Sink' and 'Where Flies Sleep'.

With this album Spectres have settled into a consistently engaging approach to a genre desperately in need of bands comfortable with generating high levels of sonic textures with melodic, engaging rhythms and progressions. Spectres seem more enamored with the completeness of a song over. say, a romance with metal exploding into metal and electronics for too many minutes at a time. Their potential and vision is explored brilliantly on the first track, 'Where Flies Sleep', which is melodic, sonic, and complete as anything out there.

No, Spectres aren't a noise-pop band by any stretch, but their textures and sonic volume are refreshing and rich enough to be listened to over and over again. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of Dying is that, while it is executed with great vision and precision, it still has a few rough edges that say this band still hasn't reached its peak. We should all look forward to their next album.