LP Review: "Cast of Static and Smoke" by Vile Creature

Cast of Static and Smoke

I've been listening to this album for the better part of a week now before fingers started banging on keys.

This not the standard modus operandi here at Glacially Musical. Typically, it's a one or two listen shot.

In the spin after spin, both sitting at my computer, streaming it while making breakfast, and just all the time poring over this bleak record, the same thought keeps coming up...

How could this album possibly be described in a compelling way?

That is not meant to be anything remotely derogatory, but extremely complimentary.

Cast of Static and Smoke is hard to whittle down into my usual review length. It doesn't even conjure up a story of something from earlier in life. So, let's begin at the beginning.

Vile Creature

Vile Creature is a queer duo from the Fabled Canadas. They recorded this album live in the studio in Little Canada, ergo, Minneapolis, MN.

On their previous releases they told stories about what it was like growing up as queer kids when it wasn't as accepted as it is now.

They've taken the Coheed and Cambria method and flipped it backwards. They went from personal songs into story based albums.

Cast of Static and Smoke is a concept record based on a short story.

There's a pretty significant amount of packaging in the vinyl release that's being co-released by Halo of Flies and Dry Cough Records.

This record is only four songs long, but they're a bit on the long side so no worries here.

Thinking about how this album was recorded live is still confusing me. It's full and lush. It doesn't sound like something bashed out, but something that was fleshed out.

Between a drumkit, a guitar, a voice, and some samples, Vile Creature has made an epic album. The songs, though definitely extreme metal and atonal at times, have a full compliment of musicality and groovality in them.

It was hard to avoid dancing while I was cooking bacon and listening to this album. As with everything Halo of Flies does, there's going to be a vinyl release, a couple variant colors, and a band released cassette tape.

This is the part that I was avoiding. The music works at defying category and description. It's best left to you to simply listen to it.

Just know that your friend and humble narrator has given this one a big thumbs up.

Release: 3/9/18
Genre: Epic Doomy Blacksy Metal
Label: Halo of Flies/Dry Cough
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