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The Skull Defekts, one of Sweden’s most well known experimental units have here teamed up with the former mouthpiece of Baltimore drone rockers, Lungfish, to create one hell of a record. And this is a record that sounds much like Lungfish, working with simple circular riffage as a base while Higgs intones his mystic speak, but definitely sounding fuller, more muscular and overall more interesting than Lungfish ever managed to. PEER AMID is full of droning rock that shifts subtley and constantly. Droning rock that is often broken up by the band’s veering into outbursts of noise, all while Higgs’ intense and mostly composed rhythmic recitation of cryptic passages from some unknown holy book goes on and on. Gurgling synths at times add to the swirling swarthy mixture of guitar riffs, ambient noise, machine-like drums and Higgs’ banshee like performance. This really works, and it is really great to hear Daniel Higgs again playing with a strong backbeat to support the weight of his lyrical ambitions. Anyone who has ever liked Lungfish needs to listen to this. As for the Skull Defekts, they are in top form working within the (at this point what must be familiar) “rock” parameters they’ve been toying with as of late. Grinding out riffs, at times sludgy, at times metallic, that spin and spin and spin and spin and on the 20th spin change slightly, and on th 40th spin change slightly some more. These Swedish noise makers sound very comfortable and prove a great foil to Higgs on the voice. This collaboration will be coming to Boston on 4/4 @ Great Scott, where they’ll be joined by Boston’s own noisy rhythm warriors, Neptune. Do not miss.

LISTEN TO: THE SKULL DEFEKTS(w/ DANIEL HIGGS) – PEER AMID

MORE: http://www.myspace.com/skulldfx

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