Return of Pluto - New Horizons (2020)
By 2 Jackets Moloney
This is my 1st review for 'Jablka daleko od stromu' but first, a personal disclaimer: My interest in 'heavy' music started with the old school (Sabbath, Zep etc) many years ago and apart from the occasional excursion into the musical dark side, I still tend mainly towards the more 'traditional' side of things: Within the broad framework of 'metal' this means I live in a slightly grainy, backlit world of melodic hard rock, prog, AOR cheese, blues, jazz, heavy rock/ proto metal, NWOBHM, 60s, 70s, 80s spandex & tennis shoes, ultimately afflicted with the Styx-plague stuck-in-the-past hell, darkened only here and there by patches of doom and Black/extreme metal..
And so, confronted with the grinding metallic harshness of 'New Horizons' I am far and away out of my comfort zone (a good start no doubt, from the band's point of view!)
As a reviewer you might ask what the hell could I even bring to the table armed merely with such a limited ('uninformed' to put it less charitably) - perspective? Well I'm sorry to say that is just what you are going to get. But -hang on in though & see what happens. A few of you may even find yourself grudgingly nodding along some with my thoughts.
First impressions: There is little 'comfort' as such to be had from Return of Pluto's offering. As I blindly stumbled through this unfamiliar world of iron hammer-drumming courtesy of Frenkie, Patrick's ominous rumbling bass lines, sudden wailing bursts of grinding distortion and Hanskowitch's growling demonic roars around every corner, it took repeated listens in order for the murky roar to coalesce into recognizable elements. And one such element is 'grind'. It's a gloomy world of constant and brooding grind. One can easily imagine a steamroller's progress occasionally braked by some stubborn piece of stray flint or stone before its path, before enormous pressure kicks it suddenly and violently away. Such an image is my metaphor of choice for the music on New Horizons.
To extend that metaphor further, imagine that same steamroller now chartered by Siouxie and the Banshees, suffering on its course periodic raids by a 90s pirate army of Kurt Cobains, all the while coming to a stifling halt against scattered stray lumps of smouldering hell-coal from the furnace of Reverend Bizarre, shiddering under demonic growls of protest before finally splitting free: relative gothic quiet descending once again, allowing the listener to catch a breath before the next inevitable plummet into the depths. (Opening track 'Withering' is a notable example of this particular dynamic in its melding together of different styles. The effect is far from jarring however and and is in fact impressively seamless.)
Given my stuck-in-the-past perspective and limited knowledge it shouldn't surprise you that the bands I am reminded of belong to a certain era, no later than say, 1990. 'Bleach'-era grunge is an obvious comparison in this regard: In Hanskowitch's 'quieter' vocal moments the Cobain comparisons are likewise, unavoidable. (The opening riff of 'Daemons' for instance is reminiscent of another certain, famous opening riff. The track also shows the string bending influence of Tony Iommi) The Banshees influence I alluded to earlier features most strongly in the swirling chime of guitars that mark the album, floating frequently to the surface in an atmosphere of halting & uncertain unease before that cursed, smouldering coal strikes again to explode the brooding relative calm. ('Ancient Sun' is a good example of this).
There are moments that deviate from this general picture: 'Bloody Blues' which has a riff that reminds me of 'Rockn Roll Victim' by 70s punk pioneers Death and I'm also pleased to say that final track 'Unnamed' delves into bluesier-than-usual territory.
I have a feeling some fans of the band will read this and relish the prospect of me being not only taken out of my comfort zone but being given a good kicking in addition. But being older & stuck in my ways (respect your elders!), I'll continue to be an outsider for some time yet, occasionally and gingerly poking my nose into new & unfamiliar territory and attempting to put what I see and hear into words.
And isn't that the whole point?
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