Archive for the ‘Anatomy of Habit’ Category

Sounds Like Hell: Anatomy of Habit

Thursday, November 6th, 2014

Sounds Like Hell is an irregular feature on noise rock.

Anatomy of Habit carry themselves with the same seriousness as Neurosis, which is to say that this is a group of people who do not fuck around when it comes to their craft. When I first saw them supporting Pelican in their native Chicago two years ago, that was what stood out: the religiosity of their musical expression, as though the music was part of a larger, unspoken ritual.

So it’s fitting that ‘Radiate and Recede’, the first of two tracks from their forthcoming LP Ciphers + Axioms, proceeds with like a netherworld hymn. While Neurosis flourish on catharsis and release, Anatomy of Habit prefer to let tension bubble to the point of listener discomfort. Mark Solotoroff’s doesn’t so much sing or speak as he delivers emotionless incantations over snarling guitars and dual percussionists who sound like they’re shattering glass with every beat. This is uneasy listening, equal parts beautiful and distressing, meticulous and psychologically draining, the way challenging art should be.