The first 30 seconds of opener “Boabab” do plenty to sum up what’s at the core of Mouth Of The Architect’s second full-length for Translation Loss. It is a massive, plodding, methodical and insurmountable wall of riffing. Though the band changes up the tempo a little more than on their prior effort, and sheds some of the Isis-brand moodiness (only some), there nonetheless remains a compact structure of guitar at the heart of the songs.
After losing and replacing a bassist and a guitarist, Mouth Of The Architect’s alternately aggressive/ambient approach and occasional droning madness comes off as a sincere expression of frustration turned into creative therapy. There is a sense of relief in these songs, adding dynamics to the already engaging craft.
That said, records of this ilk are often challenging listens, and Ties is no exception. But for the set who looked so forward to this full-length after hearing the burgeoning potential on the split release the band did with Kenoma earlier this year, disappointment is nowhere to be found.
In A Word: Voluminous
