God’s Country

Chat Pile is a band I've been eyeing for a while, but it wasn't until I heard both of their 2019 EPs a few days ago where I was instantly obsessed with their sludgy noise rock sound! Now that they finally have their debut record out via based record label The Flenser, all I can say is... wow this album absolutely lived up to my expectations set by their EPs! The industrial beats and screamed vocals of "This Dungeon Earth", the post-punk undertones of "Remove Your Skin Please"... not only does "God's Country" take these elements and combine it all into a much bigger project, it somehow makes it filthier than it already was!

Starting the record off with "Slaughterhouse", Chat Pile explodes in your face with consistently beefy bass tones, crushing guitar riffs and disgusting vocals from Raygun Busch! The lyrics are also a lot more politically-centered this time around. There are some tracks that narrate events from the perspectives of dreadful people and some that provide blunt commentary on topics like the homelessness crisis displayed on "Why". Busch is pretty much spot-on here. Why do people have to be forced to live painful lives outside when we have the resources to prove otherwise? Some may argue that the direct nature of the writing leads to the album having less depth than it should, but I tend to disagree. The track's sound is as face-smashing as is and, with such obvious issues, why can't we be blunt about bullshit like this? The vocal delivery is also a great example of why this sort of approach works so damn well here.

Somehow, Chat Pile keeps this momentum going with the rest of the tracklist! "Wicked Puppet Dance" and "Tropical Beaches, Inc." are the most manic and fun tracks on the album and "Anywhere" is an oddly pretty moment. The standout track, however, has got to be the 9-minute closer: "grimace_smoking_weed.jpeg". Having Grimace the fucking Purple McDonald's Monster smoke weed in your story is already funny, but it actually leads into the most gratifying, brutal and suicidal moment on the entire record. The narrator constantly berates him and tries to get the purple man out of his room so he could off himself until he has enough of this bullshit and forces Grimace to bear witness to his painful death. The sludgy riffs turn into explosive amp drones as shotgun blasts fill the atmosphere with absolute dread.

Jesus Christ this fucking band and their fucking album. This is everything I could've wanted from a debut this band. "God's Country" is absolutely one of the most raw, disgusting, unhinged and disturbing noise rock releases that I've heard in the past few years and I am absolutely stoked for what Chat Pile has up their sleeve in the coming years!

Fav Tracks: grimace_smoking_weed.jpeg; Slaughterhouse; Anywhere; Tropical Beaches, Inc.; Wicked Puppet Dance; Pamela; Why

Least Fav Track: I Don't Care If I Burn

Score:
9.7
Amazing

Poor purple man got cheated on. This guy wants to send his body to Arby’s. :,(