Triac 'In the Blue Room' 7″ + CDep gatefold

"Blue Room" is the latest (and greatest, it seems) from Baltimore, MD grinders Triac (a split release betweenForcefield Records and Reptilian Records). Their first recorded output with new vocalist Noel Danger, the EP tears through seven tracks in 13 minutes and is actually a hint more controlled and diverse than some of the band's past efforts, which is actually pretty damn cool. I've been a fan of everything these guys have done to date, but this time out the tracks seem to rein in some of the noisier and more chaotic elements in favor of a more energetic and blasting form of straight up crossover-influenced grindcore – pumped up with some surging, pounding bursts of scraping, dissonant sludge to mix things up and keep it interesting. The tracks range from 40 seconds to four minutes, too, so… that just goes to show you the type of ground they're covering here. It all fits, though. It's a consistent listen with a thick, perfectly raw recording that's got a balanced mix and just the right style of warm, dirty texture to keep the wall of sound raging onward. Very cool. I'll certainly be looking forward to more, as always…

This one's uniquely packaged in a glossy gatefold 7" sleeve (hand-numbered out of 500) with the CD version housed between two slots in the left inner panel, while the black and white splattered vinyl 7" and a little xeroxed booklet are inside the right half. The 7" contains the first five tracks and the CD contains all seven. Awesome. Killer artwork throughout as well, in the band's trademark old school, high-contrast black and white style. Simple yet effective!