Provoked – Infant in the Womb of Warfare

Provoked – Infant in the Womb of Warfare / 2005 Profane Existence / 14 Tracks / http://www.angelfire.com/band/provoked / http://www.profaneexistence.com / Reviewed 11 October 2005

I honestly thought that this disc was skipping when the drum line to “Dead Hopes” started out. This drum line (laid down by Joey) is the equivalent to those jokes on shows like the Family Guy that move beyond the comfort level of the Aristophanesian-influenced “trio” jokes (something is funny when it happens to an individual three times). The humor in Family Guy’s jokes (and why exactly Joey’s drum line is so important here at the onset) is due to the breaking through of these arbitrary conventions. It is not only Joey who finds fun in breaking down conventions, as “Dickin Out” is a track that moves through a number of tempos, instead of locking into one style for a few minutes and allowing the track to fizzle out.

The mixture of metal guitar work and punk bass lines during a track like “SKO” really creates a nice Frankenstein’s monster, even if the bass work does tend to feel a little rough in regards to the spot-on guitar noodling on the track. “Milk Carton” continues this rough and raw sound, never really sounding as if an over-zealous producer has gotten eir grubby hands on the master tapes. What issues forth is a fury unmitigated, led single-handedly by Scaba’s vocals. These vocals vacillate between hoarsely-screamed out lyrics and almost-spoken words; the beauty inherent in Provoked really seems to be their continually-shifting sound. “Black Hole” has a maze-like bass line to the track that really sets the tone for the track, which couples a bassier sound with an in-track struggle between the guitars and drums for complete dominance.

While the typical response to someone playing this album would be to thrash around or drink or do something else while this plays, the fact is that Provoked put forth an immense amount of material each track, much of which just cannot be picked up by a casual listener. What simply sounds like a solid, loud bass line during “Black Hole” and “Flying Monkey” is in reality punctuated by lightning-fast diversions and a harmony that is only comparable at certain times (such as the vocals and guitar work on “Flying Monkey”). Overall, Provoked play a furious blend of punk, metal and thrash that skillfully grabs anything that seems worthwhile at the time (grunge/progressive-rock a la A.P.P.L.E. in “Faces Of Shame” en route to creating something completely new. The disc may be a few years old but the fury is not blunted by the passage of time.

Top Tracks: Flying Monkey, Faces of Shame

Rating: 7.5/10

[JMcQ]