"Do you feel it...when you touch me?" This question and more are posed by the North Carolina doom metal band, Make, on their latest album Pilgrimage of Chaos. Also, what is the sound of "Two Hawks Fucking"? You'll just have to listen and see for yourself. Guitarist/Vocalist Scott Endres sums things up best in saying, "This album is a vehicle for our anger and frustration at a country boiling over with madness and a wake up call to those sleeping through it. It's not ok, don't tell me it's ok, don't tell me you're ok with it, don't just fucking sit there. WAKE UP!"
Make certainly start things off with their best foot forward on "The Somnambulist" For those unfamiliar with the term, it is a technical way of describing a sleepwalker. The title fits my favorite track perfectly with its slogging pace and dreamlike atmosphere. Each doomy guitar chord strikes with the force of a lumbering, shifting gait. The reverb and delay effects on the leads further enhance the ethereal aesthetic while the harsh black metal vocals provoke the listener to nightmares. By the end of the track, it becomes clear that this is all symbolic of the way many people walk through life carelessly and hoping everything will just turn out okay. "You! You were wrong!" responds the band.
The fun doesn't stop there. Each of these 6 tracks has its own distinct personality. "Birthed into a Grave They Made For You" has a chugging, groovy pace more fitting of a Helmet song as Scott continues to spit bile with every ounce of strength he can muster. I'm hearing certain elements of The Lion's Daughter on this one as well. The aforementioned "Two Hawks Fucking," on the other hand, takes us to the band's softer side with a surprisingly peaceful instrumental interlude. It's a short reprieve before this madness continues with more brone crunching tunes like "Human Garbage" and another personal favorite, "Dirt." The molases pace and repetitious gang vocals make this one a delightfully hypnotic experience.
By the time "0/1" drifts by with its whispy post metal, there is a strong chance you will share Make's current world view. It is true. Things are crazy right now: terrorism, violence, racism; at times it seems we are on the brink of both civil and world wars. And the people we're supposed to count on, our presidential candidates, are some of the most clueless, morally bereft we have ever had. But hey, shut up. Eat your sugar. Watch your f#$king commercials. Buy some s#$t from the home shopping network. Go to sleep, and just keep on marching. Every day we are faced with a choice. What will yours be?