Rollor – LP review – Beasts In Men Shapes
Rollor reviewed back in April 2012 has released a new LP – Beasts In Men Shapes.
Rollor – LP review – Beasts In Men Shapes
On this release Rollor has pared back the time-frame for the tracks with none lasting more than nearly 10 minutes, even managing one at just over two minutes.
Vedik Sandskrit opens the album. Clear spaces emerge at the opening and the listener feels as though they are falling through a drain grate before hurtling in to a drainage system as distorted sounds of metal crash against the ears.
F. Hammer (Unwritten) a four minute crescendo of chaos find the duo (well we must never forget the drum machine with Rollor, so let’s make that a trio) searing welding arcs in to the room. The casual reconfiguration of constructs emit an eerie and unmissable sound which challenges all before it and is perhaps the signature sound to the LP title.
Continuing along the theme of metallic tinkering The Depository Manoeuvre transitions to a guitar led reverberation of distortion with an indistinguishable vocal seeking space in which to develop, but ever muffled under the thunder of transmorgified sounds emitting from the speakers.
Dumbfounded at Regular Intervals is perhaps the most direct of the tracks as the cynicism towards a Society riven with division is placed to the forefront of the material.
Continuing the theme Minority of the Opulent delivers a scene of industrial landscape lain to waste to be replaced by ivory towers of indifference.
Tollor provides a run out for Dr. Drumrollor the drum machine and contains the chaos of Wargasm #PAX 4 (an LP I still play at least once a month thirty years after its release) that attracts my ears to the output of the band and for me marks the highlight of Beasts in Mens Shapes.
Island / Jekyll is the track that runs at just over two minutes and what a powerhouse it is. From the open spaces of drains the ears are funnelled into an ever closing whirlpool of sound. Interestingly Rollor has achieved this not by changing the style of composition, but by speeding up the playback.
From the shortest track on Beasts in Mens Shapes the concluding composition War Is A Racket is the longest at 09:50, delivering a sonic blast to delight the ears.
My advice for the whole of the LP, turn the volume up and enjoy the visceral sounds that emerge.
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