Stress Test

With so much renewed interest in darker sounds, it feels refreshing to find an artist who's a legitimate mutant. Jaws makes music that's unabashedly unapproachable for most, a shrieking industrial maelstrom of synths and evil vocals backed by confrontational live performances that heavily feature knives and machetes. His Stress Test LP was appropriately released on the excellent underground label Hundebiss Records, home to fellow synth-freak favorites like Dracula Lewis and Sewn Leather.

Fans of pioneering experimental wave artists like Monte Cazazza or the untouchable Fad Gadget will be feeling this one hard, as well as anyone who fondly remembers the 'death-disco' dark synth material emerging from the Bay area around 2005; artists like Sixteens and Spector Protector (now operating under the name BRONZE) updating their own love of cold electronics for modern mutants. Jaws takes that initial thrust and piles on layers of doom-laden vibes and a paranoia-inducing bass crush that keeps the atmosphere deadly and the mind jittery.

The seasick-motion of 'Request Line' dissolves into shattered bits, becoming a warped beast that thunders and shrieks in agony. 'Two, Per Cent''s clattering sqwonkyness oozes into the pounding industrial funk of 'Joined', with elements of tropicalia melded seamlessly into the thick, tortured flow. It's relentless, equal amounts hate and fear spat out in under thirty minutes. For those who like their avant-garde served straight, Stress Test is a delight of audio mayhem, and an essential listen for anyone interested in the trve faces of underground music.

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