yokedevils - spring session

Richmond, the state capital of Virginia and its fourth most populous, has a rich musical history featuring as it does the likes of Doom Metallers Windhand, Post-Rock crew Labradford, quirky Noise-Rock trio Kepone, Melodic Hardcore outfit Avail, Shock Rockers GWAR, late, great Indie solo artist Sparklehorse, oh and Lamb of God. Though as someone with a passing interest in true crime, the town immediately rang bells for less auspicious reasons as being the temporary home of the notorious Southside Strangler aka Timothy Wilson Spencer, a 'man' who committed a series of brutal murders in the late 1980's too disturbing to warrant a mention here.

yokedevils is a solo venture for Jason LaGreca (Baritone Guitar, Bass and Drum Programming) the city's latest export with spring session marking the second of a four part planned seasonal themed series. Prior to this we had the three tracker winter session which was put out in March and this was followed by a standalone single last month (July) titled '3.13.16'. The promotional notes I was sent by Jason promise that “yokedevils isn't just noise for the sake of it. It's a celebration of the aural invasive species that is music.”. Sounds promising, I'm game.

'born into' is layered in distortion so its not easy to necessarily discern the track's speed, slightly more obvious is LaGreca's sheer emotional cathartic outpourings with vocals packed with pain and anguish. Musically once you've waded through the fuzz there is a mix of latter period Metal tinged Post-Hardcore ala the legendary Engine Kid. There's also detectable traces of D-Beat chaos in the vein of vintage Discharge making for a truly filthy yet fun opener. 'amber' takes us down more of a traditional Noise-Rock route with a sound similar to the much missed Karp (RIP Scott Jernigan) but with the Melvins / Sabbath Doom laden approach which made that band so darn appealing to Indie fans and Metalheads alike.

'hindsight' is a wondrous thing and can be something to be learnt from (if chosen), its also a rather deliciously vicious slice of Hardcore infused Sludge that is not so much Bad Brains, but more Black Cobra, the ever threatening sonic build-up of the latter's Drummer Rafael "Rafa" Martinez especially prevalent. Man this is good and should Jason be taking this project out on the road, then I could definitely see this particular one going down a storm. 'echochambermaid' slows the tempo down significantly, offering the listener something of a respite...ish. The track feels a little more atmospheric tonally, bringing together the pioneering tribal infused Post-Metal innovations of Neurosis, Killing Joke's apocalyptic Post-Punk and Today is the Day's terrifying Noise-Rock experimentation to brilliant effect. 'prompt', off the bat recalls Ministry from around the time of their criminally ignored Filth Pig album with particular notice to be given to Jason's Al Jourgensen style Vocals. As such it feels like a grinding Post-Industrial number which may also tick the boxes for fans of The Young Gods and Head of David, both of which carry plenty of appeal for yours truly. Hell there's even some Pink Floydesque Psych injected in towards the end ('Astronomy Domine')and this fits and justifies the album's flower themed artwork. The longest track on the record at nearly six minutes and one which never at any point feels its running time, providing the listener nothing but a captivating conclusion.

Considering this is a solo effort recorded entirely by Jason LaGreca on his tod (English slang for alone for non-UK residents), this is a promising, not overlong album and one which certainly bodes well for his future.