Brutal Truth

"Still not loud enough, still not fast enough" are the first words you hear before Brutal Truth envelop you in all the anger, fear, pain and paranoia of human existence. Brilliant in scope and form, Sounds of the Animal Kingdom represents the ultimate urban soundscape. Its central theme is the inherent dichotomy of humanity, and the thin line which separates we, the "civilized", from that which is deemed "wild". Each song mirrors the horrors that are faced each day. After an initial 4 minute assault on the senses, Fucktoy kicks in. Driven by a truly predatory main riff, the confusion of sex and power is spat out by vocalist Kevin Sharp. The entire band just emits an incredible energy which radiates everywhere, yet is controlled enough to keep interest. Unlike most basement grindcore, there are actual riffs and song structures which serve a purpose. A perfect example for me is Fisting (yet another innuendo mixing sex and power?) which is an aural representation of confrontation. The intial beat is a controlled swagger, over which threats of violence are heard. Anticipation builds until the band just explodes into a cacaphony, devoid of all sense or purpose, much as two indiviuals just pounding the shit out of each other are perceived. It's this that makes the album what it is for me, there are tons of ideas and emotions expressed here, swirling and changing on a whim. Granted, this may hit something different in me than the average listener, who may perceive this as "noise", which, upon first listen, it may seem. But for me, I'd be hard pressed to find an album in the last six months which had so much raw feeling and kept me this interested upon every listen. There are parts which seem extraneous, such as the 21 minute noise loop which closes the album, but since when could you filter life? The reward of repeated listens is the revelation that there are more actual songs that burts of noise, and these are the strong points of the album. Brutal Truth have successfully captured in 74 minutes everything negative feeling I ever felt in the first 18 years of my life, and while this is not what most people want to feel, it is an inherent part of life which many have to endure every day, and Sounds of the Animal Kingdom does its job of reminding us of that. Brutal Truth are an intelligent band who have crafted something unique here, and hopefully will help raise the standards of what is to be created in the future.
10 out of 10