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LAIR OF THE MINOTAUR “I Hail I”
LAIR OF THE MINOTAUR “I Hail I”
By Dr. Abner Mality
The MINOTAUR has returned and it’s out for blood! I thought these Chicago barbarians were deader than Hades himself as they have been quiet for many years but lo! They are back and this time they have Sanford Parker, ubiquitous producer of anything heavy in Chicago, back as their new bass player!
They waste no time and tear into the album like Cerberus on a starvation diet. This fucker is RAW to the bone! I have never heard a more grinding guitar tone than the one they dredge up on the title track…it will grind your bones to paste! Nothing here is complex, all is reduced to the bare framework, which is the LAIR method. Some tracks like “Fucked Inside Out” and “Deepest Hell” come across just as much punk as metal and last less than two minutes. But there are also some curves thrown. I don’t know much about ETHEL CAIN but her song “Family Tree” is covered here and comes across curiously melodic while still being brutal. “Vulture Worship” is a to the point ambient synth piece with narration, which leads to the longest track, “Tartarus Apocalypse”, where MINOTAUR brings the doom in spades. This one crawls forth like a tank from the deepest pits.
Through it all, Steve Rathbone maintains the roaring vocals he’s known for, drummer Chris Wozniak knocks 7 tons of shit out of his skins and the gruesome tales of Greek mythology are explored in a dark and bloody fashion. This band is so unique and deserves to overwhelm all. I hope that “I Hail I” finally turns the tide for them.
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