THE FRĒQS - No God On The Gold Coast

THE FRĒQS are comprised of Seth Crowell - Guitar/Vox/Theremin/Short-Wave Radio Manipulation, Ian Mandly - Bass/Backing Vox and Zack Fierman on Drums/Aux Percussion/Backing Vox. The are from Salem, Massachusetts home to the infamous witch trials of 1692 as well as experimental Metalcore legends Converge, good company you could say, the latter I should clarify rather than the former.

The three-piece who only formed in 2019 have so far put out four EP’s, Wasted Youth and Head Made of Glass from 2020, 2021’s Dark Money Lip Service and 2023’s Poachers, there’s also two singles from last year ‘Jellyfish Cadavar’ and ‘Tag Maggot’. No God On The Gold Coast marks the band’s debut full-length release and according to Earsplit Compound’s PR promises that the record will offer a ‘darker, more chaotic and frantic new direction’. Coupled with this is the guest slots on the record being occupied by Nicholas Pentabona and Andrew Wong of the quite brilliant BEDTIMEMAGIC and Miracle Blood respectively. This bodes well for the subsequent listen and review.

‘John Travolta’ initially has a creepy dark Surf vibe with Vocals similar to an unhinged Mike Patton and/or Dennis Lyxzén. The music is never predictable and its the kind of exhilarating post High On Fire Sludge Punk you’d associate with Black Cobra and the aforementioned Miracle Blood. A breathtaking start. ‘Chainsawman’ is doomy as hell with pummeling riffs that recall much missed Tumwater trio Karp, who too incorporated heavy amounts of Post-Hardcore into their Melvins influenced sound. An absolute standout. ‘Lo IQ’ reminds one of Slayer’s controversial Diabolus in Musica album when the thrash titans were starting to incorporate more grooves into their music. Curiously there’s also a Grungy Soundgarden vibe going down too, with some seriously cool Chris Cornell style wailing. Despite these more ‘metallic’ influences, there’s an angularity which you wouldn’t find with those artists, intriguing. ‘CLEARENCE WRECK’ has a decidedly 90’s Indie sensibility with nods to Sonic Youth, Unwound etc and some fantastic loud-quiet Pixies dynamics going down. Once more Karp make their presence known during the more abrasive moments.

‘It Might Be Rabies’ will appeal to fans of Mclusky’s brand of Shellac angular Noise-Rock with darker Psych and Post-Punk flourishes peppered in along the way for good measure. A very well constructed number. ‘Secondhand Jesus’ reminds one of Grunge pre-Nevermind, think of bands such as Green River and their snarling blend of punk attitude, heavy metal, Garage Rock and classic Hard Rock riffs. I always found said band a good deal more engaging than Mark Arm’s better known outfit Mudhoney and thus why I found this such an appealing listen. ‘Short King’ at a mere 1:28 took me a little by surprise and I was a little reminded of bands such Orange 9MM, (the band Rage Against the Machine could have been) with the groove-laden sound and blended aggressive Hardcore, Funk, and Rap-Rock inflected Vocals in the vein of the criminally overlooked Chaka Malik. There’s a little Helmet slipped in there too, short but sweet. ‘Nite Hag’ is grimier and reflective of the artwork, the equivalent feeling you’d have if you were buried alive, utterly suffocating. Sonically comparisons could be drawn to The Jesus Lizard, particularly tracks such as ‘If You Had Lips’, there is a twisted glory to be had here which affords it the ideal album closer.

THE FRĒQS have built on the promise of prior releases to produce what are a truly majestic collection of tunes that were a lot heavier than expected and the multitude of genres here are merged effortlessly to dazzling effect. Recommended.