CD review: "Through the Bloody Channels, We Raise Our Sails" by Kane Hodder

Kane Hodder got their popularity by straying away from the norm. They don't stick to scales, they play dissonant chords, and it's not uncommon for a crazy lead guitar hook to be played underneath the vocals.

When I first listened to their new internet-only EP, "Through the Bloody Channels, We Raise Our Sails," it seemed as if Kane Hodder had become a victim of their own formula. It was if they had taken the dissonant chords, the crazy guitar leads and blown them out of proportion.

Then I remembered that this was the same way I felt when I first heard their previous release, "The Pleasure to Remain So Heartless." Maybe it's because it's been three years since then that I was having a case of deja vu.

I've since listened to "Bloody Channels" several more times and it's grown on me like a bad tumor. The second song, "The Use of a Tourniquet is Not Advised," starts out with a frantic back and forth guitar riff from guitarist Eric Christianson that, when I first heard it, sounded out of place. Now this is probably my favorite song on the CD. "The Dermatologist Has Been Eaten; Cursed By His own Hubris" opens with a great bassline from Aaron Yost and then kicks into gear with vocalist Andrew Moore's signature voice. It then leads into a gang vocal of "ba ba ba ba"s and a short clap-a-long. Now that's catchy. Moore's signature singing into falsetto into growling scream is as apparent on this song as it's ever been. There is even a short chant of "Be contagious! Be-be contagious!" Name another band that can incorporate a high school cheer into their music and still be brutal. You can't do it. Maybe this is my favorite track...

The album's final track has my favorite title, "Head For High Ground, The River Is Pissed!" This song also starts with a fantastic bassline and seems to be Hodder's most "musical" song to date, in that it doesn't follow the typical Hodder formula, but more of a generic musical formula. Not to say it's a mainstream radio track, it's still Hodder, it just isn't as frantic as most of their other work. It's just a very tight, very smooth flowing song and could possibly be my favorite track on the album.

I'm happy to see Kane Hodder come out of thier hiatus and put out this EP. Although I was unsure about it when I listened to it for the first time, my only complaint about "Bloody Channels" at this point is that it's just too damn short. Here's hoping for a new Hodder full length in the not too distant future.

http://www.hodderrock.com/