Sometimes a genre definition is just not good enough.
Controlled Bleeding was described to me as an industrial band, but what they offer up on
Before the Quiet is not so much an example of a single musical style as it is the very definition of experimental avant-garde music. Just as surprising was the fact that the band had been around for over two decades.
Before the Quiet represents a collection of the bands earliest recordings, combining industrial with old-school punk rhythms, shredding guitar riffs, and synths that sound like they were ripped out of an 8-bit Nintendo.
Controlled Bleeding's integration of myriad genres is impressive, and it's impossible to know which direction any song is likely to go. Some tracks are quick, punchy rock songs with heavy synth, while others push towards more experimental industrial and concrete. The former tracks are loud and fast, with blaring guitars and rapid drumming, while the latter are rough and grating, pushing boundaries that people unfamiliar with the genres will find unsettling and not very pleasant. The melodic songs appear more frequently on the album's 25 track run, and I for one am thankful for that, as there is only so much 'experimentation' I can handle.
Despite how great many of the songs sound, Before the Quiet suffers from the same problem all compilation albums suffer from. There is a definite lack of coherency between songs, some of which appear more than once. It gives the album a fractal feel which makes a complete listen less worthwhile. This characteristic makes Before the Quiet more enjoyable in short bursts, a method which Controlled Bleeding's music might be intended for. This album definitely isn't for everyone, and it's not as good as an original release might have been, but the more adventurous among us should definitely give this CD a spin before things get too quiet.
