Posted on: October 7, 2011 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

There are some intense tracks on Ugly Animals. The average runtime of the tracks on this album seems to be about a minute, but Retx crams everything that they can into this time frame. Whether it is metal, hardcore, punk, or even funk or folk, Ugly Animals has a little bit of everything. A super-group of sorts, Retox links together The Locust, Cattle Decapitation, Festival of Dead Deer and Holy Molar. I feel that there is a much more nuanced sound that bubbles just beneath each composition.

Even if a track like Stick A Fork In It may blow past listeners in forty-nine seconds, there is a good three of four minutes of material smooshed into that space. Listeners will require a number of full listens to Ugly Animals before understanding the full extent of what is present. The latter half of Ugly Animals provides Retox ample opportunity to expand their horizons. A Captive Audience has the band move into more of a grind-heavy headspace, while Ten Pounds of Shit in A Five Pound Bag is straight-forward fire. Three One G has released Ugly Animals into CD and LP formats – if you are a vinyl junkie at all, the label has really ratcheted up what individuals should expect.

This means that the vinyl is colored and etched especialy for the release, while still containing a card that can then be redeemed for a download of the album. Without a second to breathe, Retox has created in Ugly Animals one of the most brutal albums of the year. Check it out today.

Top Tracks: The World Is Ending and It’s About Time, Thirty Cents Shy of A Quarter

Rating: 7.0/10

Retox – Ugly Animals (CD) / 2011 Ipecac Recordings / 11 Tracks / http://www.ipecac.com

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