3 out of 5

Label: Thrill Jockey

Produced by: Justin Mantooth

Apropos its title, Bummer’s Dead Horse wades into the middle of punk brutalists like Baptists, sludgy hardcore like Harkonen, and the vitriolic intensity of Converge, and… hardly stops to breathe. That tendency has offset efforts by all of those acts; Bummer can clearly cut a rug – as heard on the underlying pop groove of opener JFK Speedwagon – and isn’t afraid to display some aural vulnerabilities in the gruff and tuff metal scene, with a sincere appropriation of folk / blues for the opening of Magic Cruel Bus; but on the whole, Dead Horse kicks into a certain gear and just never gives the listener much of a break. That can still be an approach turned to an advantage, though here it’s working against some really inspired use of samples, or moments where the song is structured around a legit breakdown, but producer Justin Mantooth’s mix favors rawness over what’s arguably more effective for landing a song’s beat or climax – so the beats don’t drop; the conclusions aren’t built to, and just arrive. Thematically, this could be said to align with (besides their generally visceral, meaty sound) Bummer’s best quality: Matt Perrin’s bleak, darkly humorous narratives describing life’s most dejected “I guess that’s how it is” conclusions: the musical onslaught gains more depth by reading along with what’s being said, but if you glance away, you can’t really make out the words. The flattening of the dynamics of Bummer’s sound into a pummel is of this same mold, and so I suppose it all vibes together. But, like, I would prefer an album that sticks with me more over one that’s thematically consistent?

There are absolutely enough moments that peak through the dark cloud to make this a notable listen. 90% of it, though, while surely head-bobbing (or -throbbing) stuff, will effectively blend into a sea of shouty metal bands. Good stuff for sure, but kept from being great.