Sometimes I tell people that I’m a fan of industrial music. The usual response, if they even know what industrial is, is to wonder if the genre still exists. The worst part of their confusion is that they may even have a point. But, sounds that are aggressive and irregular can’t just go away that easily. Like the title of the newest album from Uniform & The Body’s newest collaboration piece Everything That Dies Someday Comes Back, we can’t rest easy knowing industrial has run its course and gone away. This album harkens back to the genre while adding a contemporary take to industrial.
Described as post-everything, Everything That Dies Someday Comes Back is a kinetic force, a sonic assault on your senses. Though harsh at times with a grimy sound, the album is never boring and usually resolves itself into a steady mixture of sludge and cleaner sounds. The layers of each track keep everything interesting and help alleviate some of the tension that comes from the albums’ inherent heaviness. Everything That Dies Someday Comes Back is willing to take you right up to the point where noise becomes overwhelming, but manages to avoid pushing too far. Uniform & The Body find the delicate balance between keeping the songs musical and pushing the edge of sound. Just when you think the noise will become unbearable, the musicality of each song rises to the forefront to free you from the oppression of the otherwise intense audio.
Everything That Dies Someday Comes Back exudes its energy through a mixture of heavy drums and harsh vocals. Pushed to the limit, though not the limit of volume, the vocals strain as they try to get you to understand the feeling of the music. The distant sounds are tied together throughout the album by a whooping synth that forms the backbone of many of the tracks. Readying you for what is to come, it is like a war cry that signals the sonic charge that is to come.
Despite the intensity of the album, there is variety in the tracks. The second song, “Not Good Enough,” builds for the eventual breakdown that is the rest of the album. Like any good breakdown or drop, the rest of the Everything That Dies Someday Comes Back doesn’t get stuck on any one note. Uniform & The Body show that they can take similar sounds and use them for any purpose. Tracks like “Patron Saint of Regret” show a more mystical side of the sound whereas tracks like “Vacancy” give the raw, tactile intensity that can be felt.
Through all of the noise on Everything That Dies Someday Comes Back, interesting and thoughtful compositions break out and blend back in to a larger sound. Heavy guitar riffs come and go, capturing the imagination and attention before giving way back to the grime. The layering of clean and distorted instrumentation and synths gives the opportunity for meaningful buildups that resolve themselves in satisfying breakdowns. This album goes to the limit from the beginning and never takes its foot off the gas, yet manages to not run you over in the process.
Rating: 7.3/10
