America has always been regarded as a land of excess, from their gas-guzzling Hummers, to spray-on cheese, it debunks the ‘less is more’ idiom, and instead proclaims, most likely whilst driving a motorcycle over a pool of sharks (which are probably on fire), that “no; more is actually more”. That is, apart from bands: America is host to the cream of two-part ensemble crop; from the raucous noise rock of Lightning Bolt, to the delta-blues infused coolness of the White Stripes; their hit-to-member ratio far exceeds most other bands I can mention – so, when given the chance to review the first album of a two-part heavy metal ensemble from NYC, I jumped at the chance.
That band is Lion Splicer. A heavy metal outfit made up of brothers Max and Danny Splice, both hailing from New York City. Holiday in Dystopia is their first full length release, following their spring 2012 Valkyrie E.P. Although relatively unknown across the pond, their self-financed, self-produced album, is making waves in their home state. It’s riotous, it’s unpredictable, at times it’s nonsensical, but is it any good?
The first thing that is made abundantly clear is that Lion Splicer is not a two-piece band. It’s a four piece band that’s missing some members. Each track has a full complement of drums, bass, rhythm guitar, lead guitar and vocals, as well as occasional piano. If they’re a two piece, then they’re also octopi. A minor point, maybe – but it would have been nice to see how they applied to the traditionally instrumentally-bloated genre of heavy metal to the modest sound of just drums, guitar and vocals.
The album begins with an excerpt from the film Switchblade Sisters, leading into the first track, Jezebel. There is a clear Megadeth influence throughout, as Max gives his best Dave Mustaine patented gritted-teeth snarl. Abrasive guitars guide the listener through the track, with finger-twisting riffs, and unrelenting rhythm. It’s all underpinned admirably by bass and drums, but it comes as no surprise that the guitars steal the show.
There is a strange incoherence to the lyrics – “This dystopia is my myopia”, appears to be a valiant attempt at Mike Patton-esque nonsensicalness, but it ultimately falls a little short of the mark. A particularly wince-inducing moment is the squeezing of a third syllable from “prison” at the end of the chorus. By the end of penultimate track, the bizarrely titled Utopia in Regalia, I begin to suspect that they don’t fully understand some of the words that they use.
Musically, the band wear their influences on their collective sleeves – choruses have a strong melody akin to Megadeth, accompanied by the blistering, frenzied rhythm guitar work of Anthrax, but it’s all performed without any real flair or individuality – a little extra is needed to stop them sounding like a pale imitation.
Second track, The Whip, is more of the same – frat boy metal at it’s most juvenile. Lyrically, it’s more cohesive than the track that precedes it, but clearly at the expense of subtlety, with lines such as “break into your shit / it becomes our whip / we’ll use it to get chicks”. – a ‘whip’ being a car, for any non-US readers, it’s certainly more Zakk Wylde than Oscar Wilde.
We’re treated to three instrumental songs in the form of Little Conquerors, Forgotten City and the previously-mentioned Utopia in Regalia – all are relatively unremarkable, falling into the trap of simply writing a song without lyrics, instead of an instrumental.
The album is plagued with poor production; volume jumps are apparent from track to track, and in one case, within the track itself. Its lack of quality mastering leaves it sounding a little rough around the edges, which may work for the haphazard, calamitous sounds of Melt Banana, for example – but compared to the more traditional side of heavy metal; the precise, calculated attack of Metallica et al, which Lion Splicer gravitate towards, it leaves the album sounding simply unprofessional.
I really, really wanted to like this album, but the combination of poor production and seemingly rushed song writing gives it a very amateur feel. On first impression, it looks to be a quality release – the cover artwork by Andrei Buizikov [Municipal Waste / High on Fire] creates certain air of professionalism, but it is very much a case of style over substance. Maybe I’m getting old, maybe I’m missing the point, maybe it’s only rock and roll – but I don’t like it.