Frenzy: Beyond The Edge of Madness 12″

Description

Our take: Portlands Frenzy has been at it for more than a decade, plowing their own very distinctive lane of noisy hardcore punk. Based on their records artworkwhich tends to feature cartoon punks with spikes and studs and eye-searing combinations of fluorescent colorsyou might peg Frenzy as Swankys worshippers, but theyve actually developed a unique take on the noisy punk sound, particularly on this, their second full-length. The guitar sounds are appropriately fried to hell, but the singers hoarse shout sounds a lot like Pat Dubar of Uniform Choice to me, and the fast scissor/paddle beats give me Heresy / Ripcord vibes. Speaking of beats, Frenzy is rhythmically sophisticated, with a lot of different fast hardcore punk rhythms that are intense and immediate and keep this long-ish LP from getting repetitive. One thing Frenzy share with Swankys worshippers, though, is a willingness to work the odd sunny-sounding melody into the mix. I wouldnt call Beyond the Edge of Madness an odd record, but its idiosyncrasies along with Frenzys finely honed chops make this record a unique and powerful statement.