CANOBLISS

What's in a name? A pun on the word 'Cannabis'? Judging by their logo (a skull toking on the weed), I guess so. Certainly not a 'Can 'o' Bliss', as the songs here would very much like to tear your face off, shred it to pieces, and sprinkle it on a dish of your freshly removed guts. This, their fourth album (their second with the current line-up) is a nice little mixture of metal styles, from nu-metal nonsense to almost-black metal tremolo riffing. And, it's when they veer away from those nu-metal leanings, so badly done already by their influences (Disturbed for example), that the material shines. The press sheet asks us to listen specifically (why?) to tracks 2 and 7. Track 2 'Pyschothermia' introduces said tremolo riffing, and a suitably epic chorus (which is some of the heaviest-sounding riff work I've heard in a long time). It's quite a mid-paced slow burner, and all the more exciting for it. Track 7 'Pangea' is the stand-out here though. Full of brooding passion and an intro that brought back memories of some of the great 2nd tier thrash bands of the eighties, such as Forbidden. In places sounding reminiscent of 30 Seconds to Mars, which isn't as bad as you may think, it nicely rounds off a confident mini-album. A good contender for top ten lists of 2008. It may even make mine.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Self-released

Album

PSYCHOTHERMIA

Review by Steve Cowan

RUNNING TIME:

34:45

RELEASE DATE:

2008

TRACK LISTING

1) Notorious
2) Psychothermia
3) Convicted Again
4) Adios
5) Take Vics
6) Slingshot
7) Pangea

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

USA

"...the songs here would very much like to tear your face off, shred it to pieces, and sprinkle it on a dish of your freshly removed guts."