Superjoint: Caught Up in the Gears of Application

Most of the reviews I've read for this album go over the details of Phil Anselmo's recent troubles, including his racist tirade on stage back in early 2016. They also discuss the background of Superjoint Ritual and the point that the band is now, for legal reasons, Superjoint. I won't rehearse these matters any further here, save only to say that Anselmo certainly knows how to find trouble.

On this album, Anselmo takes up the theme of technology and the way it surrounds us and suffocates us. It generally works musically, but it certainly won't make his outburst about white power any easier to digest. I won't review this album solely in terms of that incident, of course. I know he has apologized and that he blamed his words on an excess of alcohol and so on, but he really blew it on that one.

Anyway, the new Superjoint release is heavy and aggressive. At times, the band members push so hard that the music sounds incidental to the overall destruction going on. Anselmo's voice is dark and rough and carries a slightly different weight than fans are used to hearing. It generally sounds good and it suits the mood of the music overall.

Much of the music here owes a debt to punk rock, particularly hardcore. Fans will also hear a steady influence of punk pioneers Black Flag at various points. Ultimately, I found the album to be pretty solid, if a little too long. Some of the tracks go on and on and would have worked better as shorter bursts. I'm not sure what the future holds for Superjoint, but I'm sure this album will find some fans.

Track Listing:
1. Today and Tomorrow
2. Burning the Blanket
3. Ruin You
4. Caught Up in the Gears of Application
5. Sociopathic Herd Delusion
6. Circling the Drain
7. Asshole
8. Clickbait
9. Mutts Bite Too
10. Rigging the Fight
11. Receiving No Answer to the Knock

Added: December 15th 2016
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Label Page
Hits: 1778
Language: english

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