THE TWO-YEAR CURSE & D/A A/D Split (Blastbeats for Freedom)

The Two-Year Curse is the solo project (excepting a few guest appearances) of Fred Avila, who plays all manner of instruments and electronics on this one. Spastic, gross stuff. Not being too familiar with the blastbeat niche (every time I hear a guy screaming followed by a drum machine impersonating a jackhammer I think of Atari Teenage Riot, and I don't know whether Mr. Avila would consider that a bad thing), this isn't too shabby of an entry. There are four short and concise tracks, all packed with a dozen change ups. Scream at the world, pound the drum machine, blow up some circuits, repeat. There's also some nice live drumming on the final track "Camelopardalis" by Kenneth Topham that keeps the momentum while offering a contrast to the stuttering Alesis HR-16. On the flip, D/A A/D vomit up some electric mayhem Halifax, Nova Scotia style. Manipulated high-end frequencies skittering across pulsing bass, fading into hiss and fuzz. Dismal done decently. Topping it all off is a nicely designed full-color insert, with real liner notes and legible information! This was an edition of 60, and it's taken longer than necessary for me to get around to writing about it, so you might want to contact these dudes for spares (who doubtless have a whole new offering by now).