Wapstan - Saturnales

Inyrdisk

For years Women In Tragedy’s main man, Bob McCully, floated by himself in the deep space of sprawling post-rock/psych jams done at epic lengths. WIT previous release, the brilliant “Dian Arbus”, was an ambitious 2 CDR album that clocked in at over two hours with eight tracks averaging fifteen minutes. But space can be a lonely place when you’re all by yourself, and for his latest release our lost astronaut flushed out his once solo project into a four-piece post-hardcore/metal band.  “Medusa” has the feel of a man who, since his escape pod crashed in the wilds of northern Ontario, and he trekked for weeks to civilization, chased by harassing swarms of black bugs and rabid wolves, only to be saved by members of Converge, who just happen to be passing by on tour, wants to be social again. He wants to make music with other people and for other people. One could now define the music as Metalcore if they felt the need, though still far from conventional. It is definitely making and attempted at accessibility, hauling in the song lengths to a less daunting nine minutes, and sowing some melodic pop seeds in amongst all the breakdowns and chugga-chugga riffing. “Tremors” in particular stars off not unlike latter-day Cure before its balls drop and it opens up to some tough metallic pounding. It’s hard not to picture packs of boys in black hoodies coming at each other from opposite sides of the room with arms swinging during the apex of these songs. Though I find myself missing the grand ambition and trippy instrumentation of previous releases, this is still a good sound track for your next circle pit, and I hope as a full band WIT finds the larger audience they seem to be stabbing for. Somewhere out there is a nineteen year old with bangs in his face, doing bong hits to the Dillinger Escape Plan. I want to appear as a smoky vision to this young man and put a copy of this CD in his impressionable hands. Years later he will speak fondly of this moment to his therapist.