At the end of the day, what we as a rock/metal fans really need is a challenge. Sure, most of us profess our rebellious nature, wearing our counter culture patches firmly on our sleeves, however it’s bands like Daughters that really put that those ethics to the test. Without care for your well being or enjoyment, this could arguably be the real face of what rock n roll is supposed to be.
Hailing from Providence, Rhode Island, the four-piece have been manipulating sound to their own distorted and twisted vision since 2002. Finley grinding rock, noise and to some extent elements of grindcore, You Won’t Get What You Want is their fourth full-length studio installment in the band’s career. Painting a picture of their sound is like giving directions in a labyrinth. Simply put, imagine that nightmare boat sequence from Willy Wonka just so happened to take a detour through a rusty chainsaw factory. Avoid at all costs if you’re unlucky enough to be suffering from a hangover.
Despite being their first album in eight years, there is no lack of bite in their efforts to produce one of the harshest, most punishing sounds 2018 has manufactured. True to its word, this album does not reward you or grovel for your approval. Making this point very clear from the start, the pulverising industrial tones of ‘City Song’ oppresses and overpowers the senses to the point that you begin to feel dizzy and nauseous. Vocalist Alexis Marshall’s is on another plain entirely who only adds to the disorientation with spoken word phrases, desperate wailing and oddly sexual groans.
Not until ‘Satan In The Wait‘ are we exposed to something that even resembles a song. Structure can be heard through the dissonance but not enough to truly understand what the hell is actually going on. But that could be the point here. There’re familiar troupes here and there that bring us back from the brink that fool us into thinking we understand what Daughters are up to. In all truth however, it’s just the mind playing tricks as we come out of this album with more questions than answers.
This record does nothing less than define what it truly means to be haunting. A sonic terror that equally challenges your ears and mind. You’ll be hard pressed to find another release this year that will fuck with you as much as this album does.
You Won’t Get What You Want is out October 26 via Ipecac.
