pound

Pound Pounds "x_--_+_--_x_--.+_--_x_--+_--" Into Your Head

pound

The immortal paragons of punk and metal, though often ideologically immiscible, ceaselessly collide year after year to form uncanny alliances and new combinations. Though these odd mixtures typically incorporate subgenres of metal that already offer themselves toward the primal unruliness and unglamorous severity of punk (such as crossover thrash, grindcore, grunge, etc.), there are rare instances of more avant-garde interpretations of both genres coming together to form truly unprecedented emulsions.

One such example is Seattle’s forward-thinking yet ferociously primordial math-grind duo Pound. Formed in 2009, Pound have from their inception operated around the central musical concept of combining grindcore, math, d-beat, and sludge metal into one animalistic, hyper-complex crossover entity. In anticipation of the release of their upcoming second album ••, the group have unleashed a vivacious music video for “x_–_+_–_x_–.+_–_x_–+_–,” the record’s eighth track and third single — check out an exclusive stream below:

Shot in a cold, mechanical monochrome, the clip’s claustrophobic shots jarr between guitarist Ryan Schutte and drummer David Stickney, creating a dissonant visual atmosphere that mirrors the structure and attitude of Pound’s sonic material. Intertwining the raw, seething aesthetic mentality of grinding mathcore with the deft musicianship, unconventional rhythms, and unbridled creativity of djent and death metal, “x_–_+_–_x_–.+_–_x_–+_–” progresses gradually and hypnotically despite its breakneck pace, and provides a consummate outro to the intense eight-song album.

Like the auditory equivalent of Morse code, this album-closing song writhes across its four minutes utilizing endless variations on a singular rhythmic theme, with harsh distortion, feedback, and brutally sludgy breakdowns dispersed throughout to momentarily dissipate the whirlwind of percussion. The immaculately grimy yet polished production on this track (and the album as a whole) can be attributed to legendary sound engineer Dave Otero, with whom the group collaborated at Otero’s Westminster, Colorado studio Flatline Audio. The effectiveness of their teamwork is readily apparent on ••: throughout its entire 30 minute length, the record effuses the filthy post-human energy of an unfinished industrial basement, all without losing an ounce of clarity or veracity.

•• releases on May 31st via Silent Pendulum Records. Stream two more tracks below:

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