The 2019 Arsies: January 21, 2019

January 21, 2019

Emotion	●●●	●●●
Memorability	●●○	●○○
Replayability	●●○	●●○
Innovation	●●●	●●○
Pace	●●○	●●○
Shredding	●●○	●●○
Vocals	●●●	●●○
Production	●●●	●●●
	✓

Awww yisss... two albums, 70 minutes total. Glassjaw snatch the coin in midair and away we go!
Material Control is the ultimate Glassjaw love letter, encompassing everything that the band have always ever been about: ferocity and melody fused as one. Guitarist Justin Beck has also said that this is at last the kind of production he'd always wanted for the band, with a gloriously overdriven Fender American bass stepping out into the forefront. (I can't fault him for that at all.) More than just a post-hardcore slamfest, this album circumscribes a more diverse soundscape. It's laudable, although it does lead to a more difficult pace, especially in the album's back half.
Harms Way try to make the best of that lapse with Posthuman, a tasty and muscular collection of hardcore songs tinged with a decidedly industrial bent. And it's even more ferocious than the Glassjaw. But while it's an enjoyable 33-minute ride, it doesn't really stick with you in a memorable way. Posthuman is certainly effective at what it does, but Material Control is hunting bigger game here. At the end of the day, Glassjaw reign over Harms Way, and move on to the next round.
Tomorrow is apparently Techdeath Tuesday, as crowd favorites The Faceless... uh, face Rivers Of Nihil.