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Album Reviews : The Reverend Jesse Custer – Perpetual Victim

By on December 18, 2012

2744413763-1The Reverend Jesse Custer are one Canberra’s most intense bands, and they’ve finally got another release out, the five track, eleven minute Perpetual Victim. While some members of the band dislike them being labelled as “grindcore”, that label perfectly captures the chaotic and frenetic pace of The Rev’s music. Loud, heavy, noisy, angry and really fucking fast, the band churns out one lightning paced riff after another. The songs change tempo constantly, and singer Max’s infuriated howls of hatred will make anyone think their sound system is possessed. Straight from hell, and lacking remorse, The Reverend Jesse Custer’s Perpetual Victim is eleven minutes of pure fuck you. I would hate to convey that The Rev is nothing more than five fine young gentlemen who play at a million beats per minute all the time. Every so often they will slow it down, throw in some sludge influences, take a quick breather, and the pummel you straight into the fucking floor.

The guitars sound thick and heavy, a goulash of angst, and towards the end of the opener “Lead Eyelids” the band produces some of the most insane, and I mean that as in mentally unstable, sounding noise you’ll ever hear. The band grooves out on the intro riff to the hilariously titled “What’s Kraken”, throwing in a couple of moments perfect for hand claps, before the song self destructs. “Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble” is 48 seconds of musical hatred, before the soundbite over the Converge-esque intro to “Human Harvester” leads into some fast paced riff stew, dissipating to make way for the drumtastic intro of “Plague Rider”. The song bounces through a series of tempo changes, before the song slows down and a choir of tortured screams sings out to the next section of the song, and final moments of the record.

Music is sometimes best served fast, loud, and noisy, and The Reverend Jesse Custer have perfected this method of delivery. If your ears crave harsh, terrifying music, this is the EP for you.

Band: Reverend Jesse Custer
Album: Perpetual Victim
Year: 2012
Genre: Grindcore
Origin: Canberra, Australia
thereverendjessecuster.bandcamp.com/

Track Listing:
1. Lead Eyelids
2. What’s Kraken?
3. Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble
4. Human Harvester
5. Plague Rider

About

In between a busy schedule of studying, procrastination and sleeping Duncan sometimes writes album reviews. When not pretending to know things about music, he pretends to know things about the world over at Sudden Reason.