San Francisco Bay area insane avant-garde band, The Mass, proudly and loudly have released a 4 track EP CD, Holocene #6, that is a showcase of their sonic Jazz/Metal/Punk exploration. Holocene #6 is a bold statement for sure from a band who has said they could care less about popularity contests, et al.
Mix in throaty screams, saxophone wailing, deathy guitar riffs, chugging bass and frantic drumming and put all of that into a 'Fuck It All' attitude and you're getting close to what The Mass are all about. While not quite free form Jazz or improv, The Mass do have that type of vibe to them. On Holocene #6 check out the dirty groove of "Human Shield" or the bombastic CD opener "Trbovlje" with its 'in your face', almost Hardcore feel. A very Indie sound that is very infectious.
The Mass are really interesting and could quite easily pull of the whole Improv thing, as the wide open sounds found on Holocene #6 prove. This CD I believe was only released as a 200 copy, self released EP, so good luck tracking down one of the other 199 copies out there, but it will be worth the effort. You wouldn't think that Saxophone solos over a bed of brash Husker Du/The Melvins/Traindodge fueled songs would work, but they do. The Mass are just plain fun and they don't care if you like it or not. They made themselves happy with their "out there" approach to songwriting and it shows. Track this one down and enjoy!
Track Listing
1) Trbovlje
2) Human Shield
3) Fat Cobra
4) I Lirska Bistrica
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