Against Nature - Safe Dissonance Review artwork

Rating: 8.6

Country: USA

Release Date: 2006

Track list:
1. Spectatorship
2. Armadillo
3. Safe Dissonance
4. Canon
5. Sophistry
6. Inflatin’ Dwarfs
7. Swerve
8. Ignorance With Arrogance
9. Note To Myself
10. Beware Lilliputians

Band Website: Against Nature

Against Nature - Safe Dissonance

John Brenner- Guitar/Vocals
Bert Hall Jr.- Bass
Steve Branagan- Drums

Hopefully the Against Nature is reasonably familiar to my fellow doom mavens by now- Some years back, former Revelation front man (and, trivia nugget alert, erstwhile Have Mercy azewielder, GREAT unorthodox power/thrash!) John Brenner made a momentous return to heavy music, reuniting what many regard as the CLASSIC Revelation lineup and branding the new project as Against Nature. With 2004's fantastic Appease, Sirs Brenner, Branagan and Hall renewed, revitalized and reconfigured ideas presented on the monumental Salvation's Answer and Never Comes Silence LPs, applying the left-of-center, forward-thinking sense of adventure exemplified by Revelation to a more subtle, introspective musical template, culminating in an organic, intensely personal and intimate album that accurately represented all the growth the trio had undergone in their sabbatical from doom rock (Branagan, of course, hasn't been away for as long as his comrades, he has continued to drum for Revelation Mark II).

In so many senses, Against Nature is a logical extension of Revelation's blueprint- off-balance arrangements and off-kilter instrumental flourishes coupled with plaintive, bare vocals and profoundly sincere emotional content. Yet, the presentation with AN is far starker, less embellished with labyrinthine structures and pronounced dynamic shifts. Instead, conviction is siphoned through a more linear, though no less original/individualistic format. I do hesitate to say that Against Nature are on par with that classic Revelation material, largely because Salvation's Answer is one of my all-time favorite doom records, and a PROFOUND influence on my own musical outlook and produce, but to say that it is true to form for Brenner, Hall and Branagan would be a good summation of my sentiments towards the band. The fact that, after an extended hiatus from this music, John Brenner can put out work as distinctive, genuine and captivating as Against Nature without attempting to rehash Revelation is quite remarkable in itself.

The formula employed on Safe Dissonance is largely similar to that first presented on the STUNNING Appease, that is, unorthodox, thoughtful, heartrendingly warm downer rock that goes down considerably smoother than you might expect. Instrumentation is far more “in the pocket” than Revelation material, and structures are more direct, but I assure you that you would not have a hard time identifying the aesthetic continuity that exists between this and the John Brenner works that precede it, metal or not. Stylistically, it is glaringly apparent that the band are from Baltimore- the parallels to Asylum/Unorthodox, The Obsessed and such luminaries are clear, though the chasm that exists between Against Nature and that magical epoch of heavy rock is as pronounced as the difference between The Hidden Hand and The Obsessed, Place Of Skulls and Pentagram.

I can't help but feel, though, that the material here feels somewhat more spirited, more uptempo and more piquant than the more contemplative and brooding Appease and Panoply, Brenner engaging in more elongated (wah-assisted) lead-driven passages that add searing emphasis to the heightened dynamism of this particular outing. “Spectatorship” opens the proceedings with a lumbering, ominous bassline that promises impending bludgeon as a frantic guitar buttresses the barreling bass and insistent hi-hat. Defying expectations, the band settles into a deliberate plod before shifting into a fluent, gorgeous hook section, ornamented with cooing, occasionally double-tracked lead guitar. GREAT solo here, exceptionally tasteful and subtle. “Armadillo” is MASTERFUL Baltimore/VA groove, a spacious, elaborate opening groove adorned with a dissonant lead, paving the way for languid, liquid, bass-heavy grooves. Again, another exceptionally eloquent and emotive solo courtesy of Mr Brenner, exhibiting a dimension to his playing that is deeper and more expressive than any he exhibited on his ‘80s output.

The title track follows in fine fashion, the sinewy bass providing a mammoth base upon which Brenner can construct ornate guitar figures, the bass and guitars taking turns to edge out of the pocket while Steve Branagan anchors it all with dependable aplomb. Again, the band flaunt an acutely sharpened sense of songcraft- the leftfield switch from the relatively straightforward main riff (accented with effect-soaked space vocals) into a BRILLIANT bridge 02:20 through is quite magical and spontaneous in a way that Volume 4 and onwards Black Sabbath is. Two fabulous solos add tremendous texture to the track, Brenner using his axe to color and decorate already lush pastiches of sound, embossing gorgeous songs with subtle strokes and splashes.

Fast forward to “Canon”, and you have two dueling double-tracked leads superimposed upon one another, both played in different times and scales, veering off into jazz-guitar space. Quite strange! “Sophistry” is a little less moving, its indolent shuffle suffering somewhat wedged between stronger material, and “Inflating Dwarfs” is let down a little by Brenner's somewhat underwhelming vocal delivery (certain vocal lines don't really work, here, sir). “Swerve”, however, seeps out the speakers with all the smouldering, swooning, sensual warmth of Lunar Womb era Obsessed, the wah-soaked guitars, careening, slinky grooves and reverb-drenched vocals smacking of said psychedelic monument. Some words must be spared to what is unquestionably my favorite track on this particular platter- “Ignorance With Arrogance”, which sees the band championing and amplifying vintage Baltimore/VA/DC Rawk N RAWR ™ via unpredictable, yet wholly approachable arrangements, sweaty, sweltering grooves, tasteful yet HOT instrumentation, swinging, open rhythms and ELEPHANTINE riffing. A scintillating solo that transports one back to the glory days of Flood, Griffin and Weinrich pierces out of the mix, and really summarizes, in one resolute and resounding statement, what a great album this is.

While I feel that this is an enveloping, warm and inviting record in every sense of the word, I can't help but stress that this is very much an album that you have to devote time, effort and focus to. You must resolve to give this several attentive spins, allowing the smouldering, throbbing grooves of the album to burn and burrow themselves into your consciousness. Without focus, it is likely that you will not grasp the many nuances and subtleties that truly distinguish this band from the vast number of post-DC/VA/MD bands populating the doom landscape nowadays. Utterly fantastic, perhaps the best thing the band has done thus far.

July 14th, 2006