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Sep 19, 2017 Web Exclusive By Will Butler

Like II, the third entry from METZ makes no compromises. The Canadian hardcore trio have an uncanny knack for capturing lightning in a bottle. Their sound lays the ferocity and unrelenting power of their live shows onto tape. To sacrifice that for more expansive, appeasing sounds would be to give up what makes METZ, METZ.

With that in mind, Strange Peace delivers exactly what we’ve come to expect from METZ with a sprinkling of familiar influences. The brevity and loose lipped vocal delivery of “Dig a Hole” projects parallels of Dead Kennedys while the hypnotic, post-punk drawl of “Sink” function as a sly respite between the chaos.

But hardcore fans can rest easy knowing that METZ haven’t skimped on the nitrous-fuelled angst that has inspired legions of us to smash windows with our faces since 2012. “Mess of Wires” and “Mr. Plague” wear their drone elements on their tattered sleeves as instruments screech and clash. Strange Peace seems to take more influence from videos of steel barrels being crushed by industrial machinery than it does from the hardcore pantheon.

Recording with noise maestro Steve Albini seemed like the logical next step for METZ and it paid off. Though frontman Alex Edkins’ words are often distanced and incomprehensible in part by the rattling and disparate production.

Strange Peace serves as a great primer for any new initiates to modern hardcore. The softer moments found in “Sink” and “Raw Materials” open the doors for newcomers. Everybody is entitled to feel something; from fury to strange peace, METZ have you covered. (www.metzztem.com)

Author rating: 7/10