Album Review: INDIAN – FROM ALL PURITY

A gut-pounder from the get-go, the fifth release from Chicago death metal band Indian, From All Purity, (currently streaming in full over on their Bandcamp page) is due out on January 21st via Relapse. And although the year is still young, many are already calling Purity one of the best metal records of 2014.

Most of the tracks on the six-song release clock in with more than 8 minutes of skull-fucking metal – rife with distorted death marches, chaotic ambient noise, and snarling doom-riddled vocals that would punch you in the face if a mouth could spew fists.

As I was busy digging up the Internet for more info on the apocalyptic trio, I came across an interview from 2008 where vocalist Dylan O’Toole said there was a “severity” to what Indian is trying to do. According to Webster’s Dictionary, severity is the act or instance of severe behavior, especially punishment. And if there is one word that could possibly describe the Purity listening experience, it’s severe punishment by way of artful metal noise.

Listening to Purity also made me think of experimental noise maker, GOG and the turn of the century fan belt that ran throughout GOG’s record, Ironworks. And it’s that same kind of mechanical exactness that is present on Purity. As the track Directional chugs along methodically, it sounds like drummer Bill Bumgarder is using a sledgehammer to pound his way through all six + minutes. Then the metal, yet minimalist track Clarify, pairs Indian’s precision noise grind with vocalist Dylan O’Toole grim screams. The closer on Purity, Disambiguation, is textbook doom rock – swaying like an angry ocean, while O’Toole gnashes his teeth at waves of sludge, pounding the shore. The end of the world sounds nice, doesn’t it?

Early last year, the band released a track from Purity called The Rhetoric of No. My first listen to the track instantly gave me a case of the heavy metal throwbacks about halfway in (think “Orion” from Master of Puppets) with feedback, and bone-scraping guitars trying like hell to compete with O’Toole’s over the top evil chanting. I’m also pretty sure there was a rattlesnake shaking its shit at the end. Or that might have been the fucking Peyote buzz that this record gave me. Either way, I’m in.

So beloved by their hometown, local Chicago burger joint Kuma’s Corner is not only hosting the band’s record release on Saturday, January 19th, but the burger of the month is also named after the band – a hunk of beef topped with Bourbon-braised spinach; corn and sundried tomato gravy; deep fried Johnny Cake fritter; and fresh chive. And if you follow metal these days, any band worth their Marshall stacks makes a Christmas sweater, bottles some sort of booze, or is named after a burger. You see my point.

The one great thing about finding a band like Indian that’s been pumping out the good shit for a while, is that you get to go back and dig through their back catalog. Which I highly suggest you do as quickly, and as loudly, as possible. After you give From All Purity a full spin, of course.