NINE OF SWORDS- ‘You Will Never Die’
This is kind of like a sonic scrapbook. In fact, there are so many sounds cut-and-pasted into the second Nine of Swords record- unabashed hardcore heaviness, downtuned metallic fuzz, upbeat melodies, big dirges, small doses of electronic calm that I hesitate to call interludes because of just how essential they are, and more- that it should be exploding at the seams. Instead, while you can see the joins and you can see the glue at times, ‘You Will Never Die’ never comes completely undone, never really feels untidy even. This New York outfit have got their shit together, and it’s incredible how cohesive this is. Even with Rachel Gordon’s vital, frustrated screaming occasionally feeling disconnected from the music- like she’s taken one big breath and is determined to keep going no matter what style the band play behind her- it somehow all comes together. It feels complete. A punk rock scrapbook, a coalition of chaos, the tidiest mess.
