Albums

Album Review: Soilent Green

Album: Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction
Label: Metal Blade

For someone who has not heard a Soilent Green album all the way through before, listening to ‘Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction’ for the first time is something akin to an endurance test. It is a concoction of Southern flamed sludge, grindcore, hardcore punk, and death metal with riffs and rhythms coming from all directions. In contrast, guitarist Brian Patton describes it as the “the most level-headed record we’ve done in a long time”. I guess I need to hear their back catalogue!

The label change is symbolic for the band’s fresh start though this album is based on past struggles and experiences. The artwork is by talented artist John Van Fleet, though I am not really sure how the album fits in with it. In fact it’s confusing the hell out of me just thinking about it.

The history of Soilent Green has been somewhat turbulent. Line-up changes have been interspersed with the effects of Hurricane Katrina, in which former vocalist Glenn Rambo died during the events, and a murder/suicide involving bassist Scott Williams. “It’s the basic idea of no hope. It’s in reference to the history of Soilent Green and also just life in general” notes Ben Falgoust of the record’s unofficial theme. “Everybody is always picturing things with a happy ending, but life’s not always like that. Every individual out there gets to a point where they feel like they’ve struggled to a point and never got anything out of it. It happens every day. That’s the point of this record. Sometimes, even when you put your all into something and work hard, things don’t always work out in the end. That’s just the way life falls sometimes.”

Recorded at Hate Eternal frontman Erik Rutan’s Mama Studios in Florida, the album is the band’s first for Metal Blade. The production on this is fantastic. The guitars have a heavy, dirty tone whilst Falgoust’s vocals never get lost amongst the grinding bass and drums.

‘Mental Acupuncture’ kicks of the album with a heavy dose of Southern riffery. Soon after it changes to a metalcore style of vocal/guitar exchange and continues to a more death metal stance of rapid drumming. It is almost like there are four separate songs moulded together under one track name. This continues until the brief acoustic/banjo strumming on the beginning of ‘In The Same Breath’. ‘Antoxidant’, ‘Lovesick’, and ‘Rock Paper Scissors’ are a trio of tracks that contain sludge-blues riffs juxtaposed against hardcore drums and breaks. The final track ‘A Pale Horse And The Story Of The End’ is very much death metal influenced with more complex riffs added to the mix.

‘Inevitable Collapse In The Presence Of Conviction’ is an album that requires your full attention. It is easy to get put off by the constant changes in each song, but there should be something in there for everyone to like. I was going to give this a three, but after listening to it a few more times, it is definitely one that will grow on you.

For fans of: Eyehategod, Pig Destroyer, Cephalic Carnage
Band link: Soilent Green

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Tags: album, cd, Soilent Green, Metal Blade, review

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