A vibrant and seditious album on Sacred Bones Records by the American industrial/noise duo Uniform, coming straight from the vaults of the mother*uckin’ NYC
Guitarist/producer Ben Greenberg and vocalist Michael Berdan are the two crazy bastards behind the bloody curtains of the Uniform project. The duo aren’t newcomers, they have been building their names for a decade both as solo musicians and on various collaborative projects. Uniform’s Wake In Fright 12” LP is the 4th release of the project and it makes plain the fact that this is only the beginning of a journey to conquer the hearts and minds of rebellious youth and middle-aged punks alike. Gathering ideas from such legendary personas as Hubert Selby Jr or horrorist Lucio Fulci, the duo slowly but surely rows their hellish boat across the Styx and opens a brand new page in the history of modern punk music in their recordings, through the wise mixing of elements from the past and the present. Knuckleheads like Big Black or metal-heads like Slayer immediately emerge after hearing only the first few chords, but what comes after is much more different and complex. The lyrics and the musical expression inspired by stagnation and monotony really does its magic here. Incorporating motives of industrial, thrash metal, harsh noise and even traces of EBMish beats or noir-like Goth influences, they managed to create some very seriously punishing tracks that will leave no one in apathy. Wake in Fright genuinely contains 8 tracks that all sound original due to the deliberate use of different instruments and recording techniques. It seems that both artists put all their technical experience and truly uplifting social anger into their process, in order to build an imaginary war zone for those who like a good mosh pit or need to vent anger on a regular basis. The album sounds noisy, evil and out of order, but this is only the first impression. Greenberg is a skillful sound engineer who also runs his Python Patrol recording studio, and if you listen closely, you will hear nicely crafted sound dynamics and an excellent balance between each sound-track. At some points in the tracks one can even feel the sound reaching its peak, stressing the amplifier to its limits, but the duo handles the sound trajectories and you can still understand what is happening within this loud punkish frenzy as well as on each different layer. This is a testament to the quality of the overall recording - you can feel it was mastered specifically to recreate a lo-fi sound that reflects the roots of the genre, but every part is still crystal clear. Unexpected musical twists, impulsive vocals and archaic guitar riffs that remind of the late 70s make this album an even more competitive recording among the tons of harsh music released each day. The duo finds equitable transitions between each recording - a real balance between a punk attitude and the coldness of industrial. Could it be better?
“This music is our response to and our reflection of the overwhelming violence, chaos, hate, and destruction that confronts us and everyone else in the world every day of our lives.” - Uniform
Wake In Fright 12"
A1 Tabloid
A2 Habit
A3 The Lost
A4 The Light At The End (Cause)
B1 The Killing Of America
B2 Bootlicker
B3 Night Of Fear
B4 The Light At The End (Effect)