IN REVIEW: Metz - "Strange Peace"

Following a pair of visceral, deliciously noisy platters that proved the Ottawa trio to be a powerful and exciting unit, Metz's third album finds them pulling slightly away from their established core; the cover design aesthetic is different from the first two, the songcraft has opened up somewhat, and they've eschewed the self-producing route in favor of recording with engineer Steve Albini at his Electric Audio studio in Chicago. So as to say, they're ready to take a step forward, which is always a risky proposition for a punk-leaning noise rock band; even the slightest deviance can raise the ire of the fickle fan, and Metz is careful not to put too much distance between their opening act and what comes next.

To wit, Strange Peace is indeed a very noisy affair, all pile driving drums and wild, slashing guitars (made the more pummeling thanks to Albini's involvement); as I mentioned, though, the craft is sharper, and by times a pesky melody threatens the status quo. Take lead single Cellophane, which hits hard to be sure and yet has a certain swing and charm to it; it even has a chorus you can sing along to. Whereas these traits could be construed as a detriment to some closed minds, the resulting song manages to push Metz's sound toward accessibility while maintaining most of their chaotic qualities.

There's a charm in the rawness of those first two records, certainly, though Strange Peace doesn't quite so much retain the band's rawness as it does their frenetic energy; the opening pair of tracks illustrate this upfront, with Mess of Wires bursting with the sense of teetering on the edge of control that can only come from recording live on the floor. Drained Lake, meanwhile, uses percussion as a weapon while Alex Edkins spits out a quasi Johnny Rotten impression and hammers away a rhythmic and damaging riff.

The burgeoning gift for creating more expansive songs that first crept up on their second record is felt more fully on Strange Peace. The band allows Lost in the Blank City to slowly unfurl its hellish fury rather than simply explode out of the gate, and it's more effective and unsettling because of this; there's also a distinctly Nirvana vibe to it, but in the deep digging, Nirvana B-side sense and not the greatest hits worship sense. As a juxtaposition, the Nirvana influence carries over into following track Mr. Plague, which ratchets up the tempo and relentlessly assaults you the way Tourette's did back in '93, except this song is twice as long.

The second half of the track list brings more diversity and chaos, with Sink coming as close as this band has yet to a ballad (albeit one with loads of tension and atmosphere), Common Trash acting as a fully fleshed out sonic response to early single Wasted, Dig a Hole serving as the record's true blue punk song (doing its damage in just over a minute), and closing track Raw Materials bringing it all home in a hail of bullets, fire and blood (it even goes a bit spacey at the halfway point of its epic six minutes).

I suspect there will be a small percentage of supposed fans who will bemoan the accessible nature of some songs and the fuller production on Strange Piece but, if you've been paying attention, you should have seen this level of growth coming; it started cautiously on Metz II, and here it simply takes a greater step due to the involvement of a seasoned professional (one who's practically the patron saint of noise, might I add). This isn't the record that turns Metz pop, so stop worrying; what it is is the record that cements Metz's place among emerging bands, a statement of intent to keep things interesting and loud and, perhaps most importantly, the best record of their young and still growing career.

September 22, 2017 • Royal Mountain
Highlights Drained Lake • Cellophane • Lost in the Blank City