Release Date: July 14th 2023. Record Label: Various. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
The Starving Lesson: Tracklisting
1.Pressure to Burrow
2.At Operating Temp
3.From Tomorrow's Dead Hiss
4.Set to Boil Is The New Standard
5.The Post Abandoned
6.The Starving Lesson
7.All Along We Were Beautiful Radiant Things
Members
Joe Hughes - Guitar/Vocals
Keith Riecke - Guitar
Jack Sterling - Guitar/Samples
Ross Bradley - Bass/Vocals
Jason Jenigen - Drums
Review
The Starving Lesson is the new album from Psychedelic Doom/Sludge Metallers Quiet Man who were formally known as God Root before changing their name back in 2021. I was a fan of the two EP’s and split EP they released under the banner of God Root. Quiet Man is a different kind of beast with the band focusing upon more Psychedelic and gloomy Post-Metal energy for their debut album.
This album has a more spiritual creative attitude but one that offers a more politically charged feeling within both the lyrics and harsh vocal styles used for the album. There’s some epic Progressive leaning Sludge Metal grooves that draw inspiration from bands such as Mastodon, Neurosis, ISIS and SUNN 0))) when the Droned aspects of the album fully appear.
The opening song Pressure To Burrow operates with a Crust Doomed Punk mentality which allows the band to play a more vivid gloomy style of music which can be brutally honest but one packed with layers of Psychedelic melody and aggressive tones to sweeten the deal. The vocals are from the Doom/Post-Metal side of life with Quiet Man having a more expressive and experimental sound on the later stages of the song.
Second song At Operating Temp is an experimental noise/glitch based effort that sounds like AI generated soundbytes and trippy noises which leads superbly well into the next song. Nothing much on offer here but an interesting mix of sublime haunting themes.
Third song From Tomorrow’s Dead Hiss opens with a distorted Electronica/Drone based effect with a sound that instantly gets under your skin before the slow-paced drums builds up time for Quiet Man to unleash a style of Melvins/Sunn 0))) based sludgy guitars with a surreal Post-Metal effect becoming more central to the band’s creative plans. The added soundbytes offer an uncomfortable industrial sound with the politically charged lyrics showcasing the dangers of modern life. The song lasts around thirteen minutes in length and is perhaps the standout track on the album. Vividly surreal with a true nightmarish quality creeping in from all angles. Quiet Man does add a sweeping style of Post-Rock on certain parts of the song which showcases another cool side to their music.
Fourth song Set To Boil Is The New Standard is pure Doom/Sludge Metal carnage with slabs of Atmospheric sounds once again providing an uncomfortable feeling. The vocals are gloomy and chaotic which brings the more metallic and crust punk energy of the band’s sound to the forefront of the action. The song is deliberately slow for the first half with Quiet Man offering a “STOP/START” approach with the way their music is ultimately delivered. There’s also elements of Ambient sounds that drift into the darker depths of Doom Metal with evidence of Post-Metal beginning to appear.
Fifth song The Post Abandoned is another short instrumental piece but this one is a more interesting take on the standard Post-Rock or Post-Doom flavour that Quiet Man has used for the song. Highly atmospheric with an ice cold delivery that left me wanting to hear more.
The final two songs The Starving Lesson and All Along, We Were Beautiful Radiant Things allows Quiet Man to be more emotionally expressive with their music especially with the Distorted Droned Out movements that appear within The Starving Lesson. The vocals are a mixture of clean vocals and harsh growls that allows the Progressive based grooves to breathe naturally. Perhaps the most thoughtful and hard hitting part of the album with the final song All Along, We Were Beautiful Radiant Things. As that track is full of gloomy instrumental Droned Out Post Rock aesthetics that ranks as some of the most despairing and uplifting parts of the album.
The Starving Lesson is a beautifully constructed album with many different layers of Progressive Sludge/Doom Metal that offers no easy answers. The album can be quite a complex album to listen to but offers moments of pure brilliance along the way that should allow Quiet Man to forge a fearsome reputation with this album and future releases.
Excellent and Highly Recommended.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to C Squared Music for the promo.
The Starving Lesson is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl from the links below.
Ltd 100 Baby Pink w/ White splatter and Digital Download via BandCamp
Ltd 100 Random colour variant available via Riff Merchant Records / Astralands Productions.
CD Release from Cursed Monk Records
Links:
Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram
