Digression Assassins - Next Step Can Only Be Supposed

Chaotic metalcore is getting very, very crowded nowadays. I generally like the style, but it takes increasingly more for such a band to impress me. Thus, I’m pleased to present Digression Assassins, who hail from Stockholm, Sweden. They fill me with unadulterated pleasure, and not just because their name contracts to “dig ass.”

Bully the Weak
Existence Is So Latent
New Stars
Next Step Can Only Be Supposed

The band is aptly named, with songs that feel like high-speed pile-ons. Post-Botch, tons of American bands do the chaotic thing. For some reason, though, European practitioners of the style seem crazier. That is, American bands focus more on technique and heaviness, while Europeans are just plain gonzo. Americans play in community centers, while Europeans play in squats, which are ten times gnarlier – maybe that has something to do with it.

I don’t know what the budget or production circumstances were, but this demo sounds phenomenal. The drums sound natural, the bass is audible, the guitars have the right amount of grit and twang, and the vocals fit perfectly on top. This is one of the best recordings I’ve heard this year, and it’s self-released!

The performances have an unhinged quality that leaps out of the speakers. Of course, the band isn’t really unhinged; disjointed material like this requires tightness. In “New Stars,” the band demonstrates this by slowing down and speeding up as a group, yet keeping its raw energy. The title track, too, goes through delightfully dadaist pauses and accents that feel like elbows to the face.

Someone sign this band! You can find out more about Digression Assassins via their MySpace or by emailing them directly.