Taint

Secrets And Lies

Written by: EW on 25/11/2008 00:08:12

It must be really embarrassing to come from Wales, when the most successful band of the last generation to emerge from that little outpost of England is the universally shite Lostprophets. And whilst I apparently read of a Welsh 'punk/metal' scene from which Taint were born, clearly none of it has gotten further than support acts to the incoming foreigners or at best some mild UK/European touring. Taint, with their potent cocktail of doom, stoner and post-metal would certainly lay claim to be a leader of any such scene with second album "Secrets And Lies", which thankfully sounds nothing like Lostprophets. That's a few points in the bag already...

For those not too acquainted with Taint, opener "Hex Breaker" serves a grand purpose - to remind you to get the whisky out and prepare to rock and roll as this is gonna be a trip of Motörhead-ian abandon with a road of groove and senseless good rocking fun ahead. Where the Motörhead similarity is most apparent, in this opener and "Born Again Nihilist", the tone pushes towards the heaviest end of the scale, taking note of High On Fire's interpretation of the Motörhead style by turning up the distortion and bottom-end to guarantee you know all wimps and poseurs in attendance will be leaving suitably soiled. Where Taint differ to others in the stoner/doom category is the strong 'post-metal' vibe in both the tingly riffs of the Zeppelin-vibed "What The Crow Saw" and "Corpse Of Love" and James 'Jimbob' Isaac's At The Drive-In derived howl. This is the factor guaranteed to be the biggest dividing point over Taint for many as the album progresses further into Fugazi and Neurosis territory with "Triumvirate" and "Mass Appeal Sadness", shedding it's stoned up bravado of the earlier tracks for a more heartfelt and reflective feel. Let this not fool you into thinking good riffs also say goodbye at this tenure; "Mass Appeal Sadness" will have you on the edge of your seat through its tension building riff structure before the song finishes headlong in bottom-end territory, the best song of the lot closing the show.

"Secrets And Lies" is a tricky album to get into, not for any lack of quality in songsmanship but through an amalgamation of styles not often seen moulded together. The quality isn't always of the highest order but for trying such a style Taint deserve recommendation, and in songs like "Born Again Nihilist" and "Mass Appeal Sadness" they should garner even more than that as they are both wonderfully captivating and wholly involving. Certainly a band yet to reach their creative-zenith, Taint could be still be a force to be reckoned with. And thank fuck they don't sound like Lostprophets...

7

Download: Mass Appeal Sadness, Hex Breaker, Born Again Nihilist
For The Fans Of: Kyuss, Fugazi, Orange Goblin
Listen: Myspace
Buy: iTunes

Release date 01.11.08
Rise Above Records

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