Sonic Reducer

What we have here is stoner rock of a different variety than the stuff Kyuss and Masters of Reality define. Future Sound of London might be described as a "new age" duo if not for their proclivity toward deep house grooves and masterful live guitar. Like their previous records, Amorphous ... is built on a concept (member Gaz Cobain's chronic, unexplained illness in this case) that is subsequently beaten to a pulp, then blown in and out of proportion using all sort of electronic gadgetry. Neither for the faint of heart nor those exceedingly prone to post-bong hit paranoia.

I hate this record on many levels, but based on its intensity, violent rage and Zappa-esque structural complexity, I simply can't stop listening to it. An Albatross are as close to grindcore as a punk is ever likely to get—11 songs pass at the Ritalin pace of just over eight minutes, but there are decipherable blast-furnace riffs and lots of bloody-throat screaming a la Lawnmower Deth. Think the Locust-meet-Carcass-meet-DEVO without all the trappings of noise rock, death metal or new wave. These guys—a sextet!—make the Dwarves seem like U2.