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The Body, "Anthology"
Compiling rare 7" and CDR tracks, this compilation is not for the meek. At nearly 80 minutes of shambling, broken guitar riffs and inhuman shrieks, fatigue sets in pretty quick. Taken in small doses, however, it’s the perfect thing to play when something needs to be loud and angry.
Trying to take this whole compilation in at once is about the same as trying to listen to Swans' Cop/Young God from beginning to end.It is an apt comparison, because both are these dissonant, hate-filled compositions that move along at such a slow pace, they almost feel frozen in place.With a tempo that matches that of much of Khanate's work, I don't think even the most dedicated fans could headbang to this.
This is exemplified on the opening "Always Waiting," a mix of pounding, sloppy riffs and raw, painfully shrieked vocals.It's got that fuck-all vibe of the best grindcore albums, but at the polar opposite pacing.The longer "Fails" is a bit more disciplined: even with its erratic rhythm section, the deep bassy blasts lead to a more structured feel, even if it's the perfect definition of "lurching."
There is a smattering of covers on here, most of which are impossible to link to their original.The cover of Body Count's "Cop Killer" is all dissonant big riffs and indecipherable shrieks; the only commonality between them is the machine gun/drum breakdown in the middle of the track.The cover of "Dead Cops," originally by MDC (sensing a theme here?) also slowly plods along.Somewhat reminiscent of the slower moments of Godflesh's debut EP, it comes together nicely with a great, treated drum sound later on.
While I'm not overly familiar with the original, the faster tempo of Crass' "Do They Owe Us A Living" indicates that they're at least closer together in approach, while the overdriven sound is so distorted it occasionally trails into noise territory.Similarly, the cover of Danzig's "Tired of Being Alive" keeps a bit of that strip club trashy blues sound from the original, even deconstructed to the barest caveman essentials.
With its occasionally questionable production quality and sheer brutality of its approach, this collection is best reserved for those moments when harsh, grating noise is warranted.It's a big, loud, violent blast that works quite well for what it is.Subtlety isn't an option here.
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