“To climb these stairs again,” are the words that open the latest release by The Body. It is a reading of the poem “The Kaleidoscope” by Douglas Dunn and a stark reminder of the moods of previous records and what will become of I’ve Seen All I Need To See. There is no hiding from the darkness that lurks within on any record released by The Body. On the contrary, you surrender to the elements of the mind and of a dismal environment. It is time to peel back that shroud and enter once more.
There are no bands like The Body. None that have so thoroughly immersed themselves in noise experimentation and divorced themselves from the metal scene while still heavily appealing to its base. The Body has been plenty busy since their last LPs I Have Fought Against It, But I Can’t Any Longer and O God Who Avenges, Shine Forth. Rise Up, Judge of the Earth; Pay Back to the Proud What They Deserve. In that time, they have done collaborations with MSC, Uniform, and Whitehorse—all of which have been great releases. However, they appear to have had some time alone and are ready to unleash something a little… angrier.
If there were a record that would be considered The Body “returning to their roots” then I’ve Seen All I Need To See might be it. More recent material by The Body has held tightly to the experimental, noise, and ambient sides. While normal for the band, their heaviness has waned on many recent releases and has not sounded as raw as this is in quite a few years.
Releases like Christs, Redeemers or I Shall Die Here would be more apt comparisons within the band’s discography. What is notable on this record is how dialed up the distortion and noise is, and how it is mixed so that it sounds like the speakers are blown out—or maybe all of my speakers are blown out. That is possible… This record is incredibly distorted.
This is also a more straightforward record for The Body. The album actually feels aggressive—like the duo is reaching out of the darkness and grabbing necks. The second track “Tied Up And Locked In” itself hits a little harder than listeners might be used to, sounding a lot like a modern doom track. “They Are Coming” has a similar aggressive feel, though slow, bursting, and sounding like it is cutting out half the time.
All in all the thing that remains consistent on I’ve Seen All I Need To See is that the album is bleak. The Body are fantastic and putting a name on their album and playing to its particular ring. Though not their darkest record, I’ve Seen All I Need To See keeps the pain and gloom coming, pouring out of every track. It is good to see the duo mixing things up—getting louder, getting angrier. Perhaps it is a stage of grief, or it is just the natural state of existence for The Body. Regardless of what it is, I’ve Seen All I Need To See is an album that will not disappoint current fans of the band and will hopefully open up their sound to some new listeners. Because if one is new to the band, this is an excellent place to dive in.
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