They will grow to hate you.
Last year, The Body and Thou unleashed a compilation album. Not the general compilation where they both pay it forward and split songs as every other, or one side this band, the other that. No, they actually put tracks together and formed songs as a duo unit crafting one of the best EP's 2014 had to offer. Released From Love was a staggering slam of slow, droned out tunes that kicked the utmost ass. A melding of savage, heavy slams and destructive malcontent rhythm that to bring out the best in both artists.
You, Whom I Have Always Hated is one of the best titles of any album ever. It's a lip service “fuck you” to anyone and anything that comes within striking distance. Just reading its vitriol gives it a foreboding brood. And if you hadn't guessed it already, as the second collaboration between The Body and Thou, that's exactly what it is.
There is no mercy this album puts forth. Even in its moments of respite it bares its teeth. You Whom I Have Always Hated always feels like its on the cusp of locking its fingers around your neck and squeezing you until a pink ooze come squelching from your ears. Both bands have an incredible grasp on mood, and move at a quiet killer's pace. The bands both play to their strengths here, bringing on a strong mix of electronics and heavy pacing. You, Whom I Have Always Hated is a twenty-seven minute dredge through the darker depths of the band. Tracks like “Beyond the Realms of Dream, That Fleeting Shade Under the Corpus of Vanity” move at a snail's pace with a wail of electronics behind them and an insane screech to boot. It's a song that deftly captures madness while burning at both ends.
What the band brings in, perhaps what fuels a good chunk of the album, is the industrial kick most strongly found in the cover of Nine Inch Nails “Terrible Lie.” The album resonates with its influence throughout. The aforementioned “Beyond the Realms of Dream…” is strongly rooted in an industrial vibe. The crash of the cymbals and the distant screams bring a mechanical tone to the track. The droning rhythm helps to solidify this. Though one can find it before the cover even takes hold on the album. The opening track “Her Strongholds Unvanquishable” and its echoing intro establishes this immediately. The heavy slam, first fast then slowed, brings out exactly what you'd expect of both bands.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBmfasN6sts[/youtube]
However, it's the second track “The Devils of Trust Steal the Souls of the Free,” that bring about the album's heaviest elements. The crushing screech of both Vic Chessnut (Thou) and Chip King (The Body) that bring out a true desperation in the sound. The track broods as much as it bleeds, albeit its stay is short, though not at all unwelcome. The thrusting jagged composition brings about a more aggressive nature amongst the otherwise desolate soundscapes.
The Body and Thou have crafted an excellent dual composition. It's not a compilation, really, when one stops to think about it. The songs aren't divided by artist and and both bring forth some incredible tracks. You, Whom I Have Always Hated is not a boring or dull experience. If you're afraid that either artist has dulled its knives when approaching this companion piece, I assure you they have not. Have they experimented with their sound? Yes. But both The Body and Thou have written extremely distinctive records that are radically different from one another. Where some might see the bands compromising, I only see them strengthening. You, Whom I Have Always Hated is an incredible companion piece that brings out some of the most savage and raw sounds you're going to hear from these bands.
As always, you can find me here.
