siLLy puPPy
Ignoring the self-titled debut which is impossible to find the experimental chamber rock orchestra that calls itself CHROME HOOF released this three track EP between the debut and the better known second offering “Pre-Emptive False Rapture.” With an album as wild as that i’ve never gone back to find out what came before and this little gem BEYOND ZADE dishes out all the wild and unhinged avant-prog meets electronic minimalism, math rock and occasional bursts of sludge metal.
“Krunching Down on the Skull of a Newt” opens with jingle jangles of bells or something but after nearly a minute finds a punkish guitar stomp joining in but then it disappears and then replaced by a hypnotizing Krautrock styled repetitive guitar and bass groove with only the intermittent drumming offering variation. The slowly build up introduces swing jazz horns and crazed female vocals that end up screaming as the music becomes louder and more cacophonous. After a deviation from the main groove, a new one is established only with avant-prog time signature angularity and then the original returns and bombastically carries on.
“Year Ram” delves straight into sludge metal territory with heavy distorted guitar riffs that slow down to doom metal pace. It slowly turns into a chamber rock track with the guitars dropping out and the oboe becoming the prominent sound but the doom metal aspects awake from their slumber and usher the track out with a thundering roar with increased volume, faster tempos and busy note stuffing of each increment of the repetitive cyclical loops. And then a head banging metal grand finale. Overall this short but sweet EP showcases CHROME HOOF’s wild and unhinged beginnings where they fused metal and punk bombast with pretty much everything they could think of!