We Cater to Cowards

by Oozing Wound

Overview

Metal-by-way-of-noise band Oozing Wound manage to get even more caustic than ever before on fifth album We Cater to Cowards, bringing more sarcasm, anger, bitterness, and bile-choking social commentary to their unique brand of heavy music. The Chicago act have long kept themselves intentionally outside of circles of metal that seem a little too self-serious or constricted by rules of style and genre, opting instead to keep things weird and unpredictable. This contempt for conformity (even within the would-be lawless realm of metal) is doubled down on with We Cater to Cowards, the group's most snarling and sardonic work yet. Oozing Wound's roots in Chicago's noise scene are apparent in the bass tones alone (which sometimes sound more like a broken oscillator than a stringed instrument), but those roots also come through in the ugly murk that coats the mixes on tracks like "Old Sludge" or the creeping stagger of "Crypto Flash." "Hypnic Jerk" can't quite decide if it's thrash or hardcore, with blastbeat verses melting in and out of repetitive thuds. While the lyrics are hard to decipher, themes of isolation and existential terror come through on most songs. Singer/guitarist Zack Weil's acidic vocals start off enraged on brutal opener "Bank Account Anxiety" and just get more annoyed and bloodthirsty from there, sounding at times like a somehow even more pissed-off Dave Mustaine. As they did on 2019 album High Anxiety, Oozing Wound experiment with instrumentation not normally found on metal records throughout We Cater to Cowards. Buried among the squalls of feedback are horn parts that sometimes lurk in the background and sometimes jump out jarringly. Heavier than ever, Oozing Wound find no resolution or peace with these songs, but continue banging their heads against the wall in beautiful fits of rage and exhilaration. ~ Fred Thomas

Product Details

Release Date:	01/27/2023
Label:	Thrill Jockey
UPC:	0790377056723

Tracks

1. Bank Account Anxiety
2. Total Existence Failure
3. The Good Times (I Don't Miss 'Em)
4. Hypnic Jerk
5. Crypto Fash
6. Between Cults
7. Chudly
8. Midlife Crisis Actor
9. Old Sludge
10. Face Without Eyes

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Oozing Wound   Primary Artist
Kyle Reynolds   Drums
Zack Weil   Piano,Guitar,Vocals
Kevin Cribbin   Space Bass
Bruce Lamont   Saxophone
Thymme Jones   Trumpet

Technical Credits

Samuel Nigrosh   Artwork
Thymme Jones   Group Member
Gregoire Yeche   Mixing,Engineer
Oozing Wound   Mixing,Composer
Kyle Reynolds   Group Member
Zack Weil   Lyricist,Group Member
Kevin Cribbin   Group Member