Strange Peace

Album review

A first album that served as an uppercut to the chin. A second one that felt like a knee to the groin. And for their third album, Metz aren’t yet considering being kind or tender… The hard-core trio from Ottawa remain an impressive concentrate of rock’n’roll violence. In the spirit of the relentless and binary hard-core rock imagined in the 90s by Nirvana (in Territorial Pissings), Shellac and, most importantly, Jesus Lizard, Metz always go straight to the point. With concise compositions. Extreme and pure guitar riffs. And ruthless and extremely tight rhythms… Leaning against their beautiful wall of brutal and ferocious sound, Alex Edkins, Hayden Menzies and Chris Slorach have entrusted the production of Strange Peace to one of their idols: Steve Albini. While the acoustic violence remains intact, the three Canadian terrorists introduce a few more melodies under their electric tsunami. Furthermore Metz are also leaning towards PIL’s depressive post-punk (obvious on Sink and Caterpillar). All in all, despite some slight course changes, the listener comes out of this severe beating with the same warning message as for the first two albums: not suitable for the faint hearted, get the women and children to shelters! © MZ/Qobuz