Born in the heart of Grunge, Seattle-based band Fruitless Worship wears its influences from Nirvana to Alice In Chains on its sleeves in order to keep tradition going while simultaneously pushing the genre forward! Forged and fronted by guitarist, singer, and songwriter Mal McDowall, the band has developed quite a profile since its high-school years.
Slowly blossoming into our ears, the garden of Filth grows wide! Its abrasive vocals and washy guitar drones create a Foo Fighters-like atmosphere. This sound succinctly encapsulates the energy of the album. Unweaving spider cobwebs, Axiomatic Incident has a foreboding overbearing quality. This is within nice contrast to the gritty, slimy, deep, and growling riffs that bash in on the chorus. Venentine provides assistance as a featured supervisor on this second cut. The depression lingers on during the track Last Night. It begins with a post-hangover, half-awake monologue that eventually lines into place and sobers up transforming into a firm, self-conscious anthem of harsh hits and irritated yells. Suddenly, the picture becomes more clear once we’ve awoken.
The singing bowl alarm summons Homogeny. With a half-chill/ half-anxious vibe similar to Lithium by Nirvana, this track whirlpools out of control leading nicely into the following track! The one and a half minute interlude Trauma, Again serves as another high adrenaline attack devouring everything that stands in its path. All this tension starts to wind down as we submerge from the waves to breathe on my favorite track, Empty Skies (Nothing Will Ever be the Same). I love the change to minimal guitar drones as the notes decay into silence. This rest of ambience feels contemplative.
We return to the woods in Adolescence. A fitting title considering the innate, natural, and animalistic energy of pounding drums, passive vocal stabs, and frantic rhythms. It’s similar in many respects to Radiohead’s There, There. Systematic Anxiety feels like it’s exhausted its attempts to fit in or keep up. With all this anguish, there has to be light at the end of the tunnel. As the guitar riff unfolds, the concluding track Come Back hits hard. With the non-linear form of a Rush song and message of moving on after a breakup, the album has an oddly satisfying conclusion of content and grievance.
Ultimately, there is a lot to love about this LP. Its slick riffs, variety of vocal techniques, and mature songwriting creates a polished and fleshed-out Grunge experience. Additionally, the growth shows the artist’s meticulous attention to detail and self-conscious insurance to make a fully-realized end result. While not a game changer for alt-rock or indie music, a confident release nonetheless!
9/10