Review: Mutank – W.H.A.T.S.T.H.A.T.
Canadian four piece crossover act Mutank have taken a rather novel approach to naming their forthcoming EP, the follow up to 2014’s M.E.C.H. Metal. Both the album title and all song names are acronyms, which is an interesting quirk that helps to divert attention from the highly derivative Repka style sleeve and contrast between the logos and the more washed out artwork itself. I’m reliably informed that the full album title is “We Have Alotta’ Thrash Songs That Have Abbreviated Titles” (W.H.A.T.S.T.H.A.T.), although without a lyric sheet to hand I can’t give the same sort of ‘insight’ into the song titles. Not that this has any sort of impact on the quality of the music, but it’s a nice little oddity nonetheless. If only any of the five songs had that sort of intrigue about them.
There really is nothing fundamentally wrong with the five tracks here. Conversely, there’s nothing particularly good about them either. For starters, most of them are too short to really develop into something worthwhile or to have any lasting impact. “L.I.F.E.” runs for little over a minute, and merely serves as an introductory piece to “I.D.I.O.T.”, which is a shame as it’s technically proficient with some good lead work. It’s the sort of idea that could’ve potentially been whipped into decent shape with a bit more thought and time, but as is, it’s a wasted opportunity. “I.D.I.O.T.” itself is twice as long but doesn’t offer much more. The looser, punkier crossover feel comes through more prominently, but the riffs are generic and lack memorability. “P.O.P.U.L.O.U.S.” breaks the mould somewhat with some more interesting riff work, but any momentum is lost again when “F.O.G.” rolls around, which is another sub-2 minute collection of middle of the road riffs that’s over before it really begins (I have to pay compliments to the lead guitar work though, which offers something of note to the instrumental side of things).
“D.E.A.T.H.” rounds things off with a ‘long, progressive thrash song’, but I’m not sure who Mutank are trying to kid with that tag. In the context of this album, perhaps they’re right, but generally speaking, the song is neither long (3:50) nor that progressive. At twice the length of the next longest song, you’d hope that it’d at least fleshed out, but again it’s merely a few ideas strung together in a semi coherent manner. It’s a bog standard thrasher at best, although the use of melody in the intro and the mid paced riff and wah infused solo towards the end mean it’s not a totally lost cause. Just as you begin to feel the song is building up a head of steam, it fades out and ends, as if they weren’t really sure where to take it. That is really the biggest problem with W.H.A.T.S.T.H.A.T. It’s an exercise in insipid riffing and aimless songwriting masquerading as blunt, to the point crossover thrash, when in essence it’s pointless.
Even with such a brief duration, this EP feels like a waste of time. Earlier I mused that the songs are too short to develop into anything of value, but perhaps this is a small mercy, as many of the riffs are so bland and forgettable that extending the running time would be fruitless. I find little fault in the production (which highlights some nifty bass playing) or most of the performances, although the banal vocals do Mutank few favours. The simple fact is the songwriting is below par, and if that’s the case, then your record is beyond salvation. With a plethora of thrash acts out there, both old and new, flooding the market with worthwhile releases, there’s no reason to give W.H.A.T.S.T.H.A.T. a second thought.
Rating: 2/5
Highlight: “P.O.P.U.L.O.U.S.”
Band links: Facebook, Bandcamp
W.H.A.T.S.T.H.A.T. is available worldwide on June 16th, via Boonsdale Records.
