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Not just outside the box, but denying the existence of boxes.
Covering music from the fringes since 1993.

Reviews

IZ — E M
(ReR Megacorp Infinite 7 IS9692, 2006, CD)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2007-03-01

E M Cover art

This Denver based heavy instrumental rock trio offers the basic g/b/d amid heavenly levels of guitar distortion and dense angular compositions that drive hard and pummel the senses. On drums is none other than David Kerman, also-member of Thinking Plague, 5UUs, Blast, Present, and about 100 other bands and projects (as well as being a veteran Exposé writer!); bass/synth duties are handled capably by Tom Sublet, but the main mover here is the man on the guitar, Mike Serviolo, who also is responsible for all the compositions. And did I mention the distortion? Seriously, one might be tempted to elicit comparisons to vintage King Crimson, Djam Karet, Don Cab, or any number of guitar / bass / drums heavies, but these ears are hearing a sound somewhere between the progressive angularity of late 70s Rush and the brutal heaviness of vintage Black Sabbath. There’s one big difference though: Those bands have singers. Yeah, Geddy and Ozzy are fairly idiosyncratic, but they do provide a defining ‘lead instrument’ if you will that commands the listener’s attention while the instrumentalists carry on in the support role. IZ don’t have that luxury, so that presents an extra challenge for the three to keep the sound interesting over the short haul. In most cases they succeed, but we do have moments where too many repetitions of the same riff bog things down. Still, there’s enough madness and rabid weirdness in these grooves to make it all worthwhile.

Filed under: New releases, Issue 34, 2006 releases

Related artist(s): IZ, Dave Kerman

 

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