Yellowtooth Premiere “Manifesto” from Crushed by the Wheels of Progress
Posted in audiObelisk on July 14th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
An ultra-aggro approach fostered immediately with little room left for thrills from its workman metallic chug, Yellowtooth’s Crushed by the Wheels of Progress (on Orchestrated Misery) serves up nasty-minded burl from the Open Range sample that launches “Meet Mr. Mossberg” until the last throes of “Virginia Creeper,” but there is room within that overarching pummel to shift in method. To wit, the closer offers a more Southern-styled riff, where the eight-plus-minute revels in its sludge-doom murk, while “Climbing the Mountain” and “Meet Mr. Mossberg” seem to be trying to find a middle ground between modern metal and heavy rock. Front to back though, the Indiana trio make plain their intent toward the kicking of ass. I’m not even sure they care whose ass it is. Any ass will do. All are ripe for kicking.
Fair enough. Unchained malevolence would seem to find its target in the disaffection of the album’s title, but the follow-up to 2012’s Disgust (review here) is less outwardly political in its point of view, “Season’s End” moving away from the full thrust of the opening salvo to allow for a melodic chorus and a bit of classic gallop as it moves toward its 
midpoint. Piss and vinegar remain at the core of what the three-piece of bassist/vocalist Peter Clemens, drummer Ed Kribs and guitarist/vocalist Henry McGinnis have on offer as “Manifesto” nods at Sepultura in its apex and Kribs leads the way into the title-cut slowly and backed by foreboding feedback. By then, Yellowtooth have thoroughly driven the hammer down, but they save the utmost brutality for “Crushed by the Wheels of Progress” itself, its switching between a doomer’s roll and thrashing drive that gives way in the last minute to grueling chug, only to swap back for the final few measures.
That back and forth sets the stage for the quieter bass lead-in of “Spiral Stairs,” its classic metal malevolence coming forward over the first two minutes before the song makes its way to a payoff htat still only seems to be at half-capacity for anger. Shouting and more immediate but slower is “Before I Return to Dust,” which snaps its snare to enter a midpoint fifth-gear push, where the riffs that surround in front and behind are bigger, slower and more nodding, that groove serving as the foundation upon which “Virginia Creeper” will launch its Southern-styled assault to finish out. It’s a vicious impact Yellowtooth deliver, cohesive in its style but almost universally tuned to the greys and blacks of its artwork, and for what it’s worth, the band sounds way more like the ones doing the crushing than the ones being crushed, progress or no.
Crushed by the Wheels of Progress will be out July 21 on Orchestrated Misery Recordings. Please find the premiere of the track “Manifesto” below, followed by more info from the PR wire.
I’d say “enjoy,” but that seems somewhat masochistic:
Michigan City, Indiana’s own YELLOWTOOTH will release Crushed by the Wheels of Progress July 21 on Orchestrated Misery Recordings.
Crushed by the Wheels of Progress contains eight tracks of bone-splintering, swamp-soaked groove. Dark and heavy with memorable songwriting, the sophomore release is one hell of a jam! The CD was recorded at BANG STUDIOS in Chesterton, Indiana with John Hehman (guitarist for YEAR OF DESOLATION). The band looks to share the stage with labelmates PSYCHOMANCER this summer and fall in the Michigan/Indiana/Illinois region.
1. Meet Mr. Mossberg
2. Climbing the Mountain
3. Season’s End
4. Manifesto
5. Crushed by the Wheels of Progress
6. Spiral Stairs
7. Before I Return to Dust
8. Virginia Creeper
The Michigan City, Indiana members of Yellowtooth have finally released their 2nd recording, titled Crushed By The Wheels of Progress on Orchestrated Misery Recordings. Working with Year of Desolation guitarist/studio engineer John Hehman at BANG STUDIOS in Chesterton, Indiana, the band captured their brand of smoke filled, swamp soaked tunes & have unleashed 8 new songs. With a hint of southern stoked riffs & catchy bass and drum rhythms, this 45 minute treat ventures into new musical territory for the band as it’s decidedly more aggressive than their initial recordings. Building off the success of their debut CD Disgust the band continues to forge ahead and build the ‘tooth following.
