Arson
Anthem – EP
(www.thehousecorerecords.com)
So, four hardcore punkers walk into a bar…
No, it’s not a joke; it’s how
Arson Anthem’s self-titled EP probably
came into existence. Arson Anthem, a supergroup
comprised of former members of Eyehategod,
Pantera, Superjoint Ritual and Down, prominently
features Mike Williams on vocal duty and Phil
Anselmo on guitar. Their debut EP starts off
like just about every other hardcore band
I’ve ever heard: Loud, in your face
screaming and an ambush of sound. The punk
guitar riffs underneath are less usual, but
still done to death. It was a bit disheartening.
And then, 45 seconds into the first track,
I was proven wrong. “Year of the Fork”
maintains a constant frenzy of drumming and
guitars that let up for a second, allowing
an awkward, menacingly layered stoner rock
guitar hook take over. Unexpected doesn’t
even begin to describe it; pleasantly jarring
does.
Throughout the EP, unexpected inconsistencies
in their hardcore punk formula make Arson
Anthem truly enjoyable to listen to. Take
“Wrecked Like Clockwork” as an
example. The track consistently stops and
starts, creating an almost rocking feeling
that makes one minute and fifty seconds seem
to last a lifetime.
“Doomed Morale” and “The
Avoider” take an interesting musical
inspiration, dishing out freakishly sped up
doom metal bass and guitar work. The latter
is slightly slower than the former, but both
are a thousand times faster than anything
any traditional doom metal band has put out.
Arson Anthem even dips into… nü
metal. Seriously. “Doomed Morale”
features screams shot through distortion a
la EVERY nü metal band ever. “Cops
Shoot Coke” is a spastic freak out reminiscent
of the best parts of System of a Down’s
self-titled debut.
“Sri Lankan Medication” is probably
the most bewildering track on the EP. I swear
that the guitars were ripped from Muse’s
last album. The weirdest thing is that it
works so well for them, I could see a co-headlining
tour with Muse in Arson Anthem’s future…
Well, maybe not.
– Zach Huff
CD Reviews 
