Industrial Puke – Alive To No Avail Review

One of the greatest things about heavy music is that despite its name, there are tunes under its umbrella to fit any mood or preferred listening experience. There are enough weirdos from every walk of life making metal that you can find something to suit an introspective, dour, jovial, whimsical, depressed or any other mood you can think of. For my money, though, nothing quite hits that sense of heavy metal’s core like something hostile. Put a gaggle of sickos together and let them work each other into a tizzy on their instruments while screaming into the void about how screwed up this world is, and you have a recipe sure to satiate even hardened listeners.

Industrial Puke is severely pissed off. Perhaps not right at this very moment. Maybe they’re enjoying a delightful brunch with bottomless mimosas, swapping yo-mamma jokes until their bladders are fit to burst from hearty laughter. They didn’t share their tracking information with me, however, so I’m sticking with pissed off. A title like Alive To No Avail for 12 tracks in 30 minutes pretty much tells you all you need to know about the direction album number two is headed.

This Swedish quintet starts their All Pigs Must Die funneled through Wolverine Blues adventure with rocking riffs that have a touch of groove belying their Gothenburg roots on “Daily Chest Pain.” Vocalist Linus Jägerskog, of Burst fame (the Lazarus Bird one), wastes no time establishing that his angry words shall be delivered clearly to help you more easily find your own hidden rage. One little perk of their style is you can quite easily visualize a scenario fitting the tunes. For example, “Flaccid Provider” showcases swirling riffs begging for the violence of a bar fight and even includes a shout-along moment that sounds like the patrons egging it on. Following that, on “Skid Texture,” Jägerskog’s vocals are delivered in a manner as if he’s rapidly getting worked up all over again explaining to the judge why he got in the fight in the first place. And, “The Regretful Climb,” the longest song on the album, slows things to a chugging stumble like he’s headed to the prison bus after losing that case.

Maybe you’re not the kind of feller out here trying to think about visualizations. You’re the type of meatbag looking for action, not Oscar bait! That’s just fine, partner, please DO get your panties in a bunch to ensure you are the correct level of hostile when four of the last five tracks blast by in under two minutes a piece. “Nothing More To Give” is pure crust aggression. “Inverted” is the song that justifies Napalm Death being in the FFO section and sees Jägerskog hit a speed that sounds like he’s barely keeping up. “Biblical Corpse” is basically the only song on the album that has a real lead, but don’t take that as them being flashy; it’s there to melt you. Appropriately enough, closer “Average Dicks” is small and finishes quickly, but to be fair, you would too if you cranked it to that beat.

Sure, this album is angry. But, you know what? It’s also really damn fun. Industrial Puke have mashed up hardcore, crust, swedeath and grind (luckily, no industrial despite the name) in such a manner that it will definitely translate to the stage. They mostly play fast and faster, but know just when to slow it down to a simple chug to make sure you can still bang your head. There are shout alongs, call and response passages and even a chorus psuedo-sung in a way that would make Crowbar happy. The Swedes pop in stretches that leave just enough space in the speed to know you’ll be circling in that pit as often as they hit a bit sure to make you pump your fist or clap along. Alive To No Avail is tailor-made for the stage which should give you a reason to want to stay alive and avail yourself of this album and, hopefully, a tour down the road.