Bouncing Motörhead via Zeke influence off thicker heavy rock tonality and periodic bouts of metallic shuffle, Against the Grain storm out of the proverbial gate with Surrounded by Snakes. The 12-track collection released via Self Destructo Records is the Detroit-area outfit’s second in as many years, coming hot on the heels of last year’s mission statement debut, Motor City Speed Rock, and front to back on its 31-minute crash-course, it’s a rager. Vocals switch up going from post-earliest Metallica thrash-style (see “Get Ready”) to a more punkish speed-delivery system (see “Outta Touch), but musically, but for the relatively extended later cut “Last Breath” — which reaches up to a sprawling four minutes! — Against the Grain keep their heads down and their motion forward, touching on the “Ace of Spades” riff no fewer than three times, on “Surrounded by Snakes,” “Comin’ Home” (also some Maiden in there), and “Padded Cell,” but nods to Slayer on “Livin’ a Lie” and the earlier Black Flag boogie of “Get in the Van” do much to expand the scope of the short, intense full-length.

“Under Attack” calls out “The Four Horseman” blatantly enough that it has to be on purpose, but comes across distorted enough to the band’s own nefarious ends that it remains consistent with the rest of Surrounded by Snakes, the opener of which, “Raise Your Glass,” sets an upbeat party vibe that Against the Grain seem only too glad to keep going, their punk not quite ready to grow up yet because it still seems to be having too much fun. Although it’s not always jibing with my particular tastes, I have a hard time holding Against the Grain‘s enjoyment of what they do against them, and as “Padded Cell” hints at grungier territory and the most striking impression of “Last Breath” is how I keep hearing Uncle Acid riffs in my head once it’s over (they’re still coming from someplace completely different vocally), I get the feeling the book isn’t yet closed on Against the Grain‘s growing their aesthetic. For what it’s worth, they seem no less capable enacting the dual-guitar leads that cap “Last Breath” than they are with the ultra-catchy, ultra-stripped down thrust of “Raise Your Glass,” and as “Extinction” ends off with a touch of organ after a post-halfway slowdown, there’s a lot more to Surrounded by Snakes than shows itself at first.

But at 31 minutes, if you’re not careful, you’ll miss it. The idea behind adding them to The Obelisk Radio wasn’t so much to showcase the nascent stylistic diversity taking root in their sound as to give just a quick sampling to those who might happen on them in the stream and dig what they do while also providing counterpoint to some of the more plodding or morose fare surrounding. Against the Grain have also made a sampling of the songs from Surrounded by Snakes available to stream via Bandcamp, and that player is below. Enjoy:

Against the Grain, Surrounded by Snakes (2013) Sampler

Against the Grain on Thee Facebooks

Self Destructo Records

Tags: Against the Grain, Against the Grain Surrounded by Snakes, Detroit, Michigan, New Baltimore, Self Destructo Records, Surrounded by Snakes

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 10th, 2013 at 5:10 pm and is filed under Radio. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.