Highly Deadly Black Tarantula

Since their debut in 2009, the iconoclastic four-pronged force of Teeth of the Sea has traversed from its origins in North London pub gigs and basement rehearsal rooms to far-flung locales that its members could scarcely have considered possible when they first began. Yet this band has never lost sight of its original vision to reconcile a fearless experimental drive with a primal lust for noise and to exist outside of all or any compromise, yet never to lose sight of the crucial irreverence of their inception. Their fourth album, Highly Deadly Black Tarantula, in all its malevolent glory, may well be the apex of their mission thus far, following in the wake of the 2013 release of their mind-melting third album MASTER (LAUNCH 059CD/LP). As 2015 dawned, the band set about reinventing themselves once again, both returning from the ornate and expansive sounds of MASTER to their gnarled roots and pushing firmly forward in search of adventure anew. What resulted was Highly Deadly Black Tarantula, their most focused and aggressive album yet. Machine-driven yet melodically abundant, the widescreen industrial expanses of this album combine the influence of long-time band favorites like Aphex Twin, Angelo Badalamenti, and Throbbing Gristle with new inspiration that spans from Chicago footwork to black metal. What's more, it's a collection as rich in scope as it is powerful in intent. While the pummeling and incisive "Animal Manservant" and the kinetic dancefloor attack of "Field Punishment" maintain an audial assault both concise and corrosive, the monomaniacal "Have You Ever Held a Bird of Prey" represents a fearless plunge into the experimental deep end. Elsewhere, the bleak cinematic drama of "All My Venom" strikes like hammer to anvil, and "Love Theme for 1984" may be the most richly emotive work the band has yet created. This is no less than a vital reinvention, abusing technology and warping convention to arrive at a monochrome psychedelia as stylish as it is savage. Yet even while ushering in delight and deliverance for both fans of this band and the uninitiated, Highly Deadly Black Tarantula -- a fearsomely coherent assault of post-everything dementia -- sounds like no one but Teeth of the Sea. The amazing album sleeve image is courtesy of photographer Oli McAvoy.