Secrets And Lies is the solid sophomore release from this Welsh trio known as Taint, offering the listener a mix of stoner, hardcore, and 70's hard rock styles that should sit well alongside your collection of Clutch, Melvins, and early CoC records. At times, there's a sort of Led Zeppeliny vibe going on with the guitar riffs, fueled by a punkish, post-hardcore attitude, yet often I'm reminded of Mastodon without the proggy and overly technical arrangements. Can't really pigionhole Secrets And Lies as fully embracing the stoner scene either, cause most of this hour plus release is way too speedy and too punk influenced to qualify. Nothing really stands out as groundbreaking, not the vocals, guitar work, or drumming, but surprisingly it all seems to work as one collective band effort. Songs like "Born Again Nihilist " and "Hex Breaker" feature some nice little twists and turns, and there's plenty of energy there, but for my money I'd like to hear more of the atmospheric, sludge/doom, post rock element that's dripping all over cuts "Goddamn This City" and "What the Crow Saw". Here they slow things down, add in some Sabbath styled guitar dirges, flutes, and tortured vocals. Better yet, the 23-minute epic that closes the CD, "Mass Appeal Sadness", sees the band emrace their prog & post rock side, allowing for plenty of weaving instrumental passages, crusing waves of sound, and dark atmosphere. Overall, Secrets And Lies is pretty strong stuff, showing a band that is still trying to figure out what direction they want to go in, but 3/4 of this release proves that they are really onto something. Their next one should be a real monster.
Track Listing
1. Hex Breaker 4:41
2. Corpse of Love 5:00
3. Barnstorm Zombie Revival 3:28
4. Born Again Nihilist 6:39
5. The Idealist 3:26
6. Goddamn This City 7:53
7. What the Crow Saw 7:33
8. Triumvirate 4:24
9. Mass Appeal Sadness 23:12
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