The Ladder - The Mindless and Complete Stain
The Mindless and Complete Stain (on Good Enough for the Escape) is the debut EP from Portuguese band The Ladder. It’s rough around the edges, as most debuts are, but it’s quite creative and exploratory. I’d be surprised if the band doesn’t find more widespread recognition soon.
The Ladder’s sound is a little hard to describe. American deathcore comes to mind, but with much more emphasis on the “death” part; some of the half-speed grooves almost feel like breakdowns, thus earning the “core” tag. Melodic technical death metal is also part of the mix; some riffs in “Movement in the Treeline” and “Failure” feel like latter-day Neuraxis. Meshuggah is a very strong influence, particularly in “Recall.” Whether intentional or not, there’s black metal in the tremolo picking in “Close the Window,” and “…Cycles” has a majestic middle part that recalls Agalloch. One song even experiments with acoustic guitars and gypsy-esque violin!
Recall
Movement in the Treeline
Thus, the EP feels a little unfocused because of its diverse influences. But it’s also never boring except for the unnecessary cinematic intro and four minutes of electronic noise at the end. Incidentally, the clicky drum sound is one of the worst I’ve ever heard. You know how sometimes song intros go through a filter to sound like a tinny radio before dropping into the actual song? At first, I thought that was what was going on – but it stayed that way. Doh!
However, these are merely rookie mistakes. I firmly believe that once the band tightens up its songwriting and gets an actual recording budget, the results will be devastating. The band is starting to write its first full-length, so keep an eye out for that. If you don’t live on the Iberian peninsula, you can pick up the EP through the band’s MySpace.
