The Locust are one of the oddest (or "avant garde" if you prefer) bands around these days but they are also one of the few bands who stick to their guns. Or perhaps it's just that they are one of the few bands that still have purpose beyond mere music. Safety Second, Body Last is the brand new EP from these cult heroes.
It's always hard to review, or even talk about, The Locust. Their music is spastic and often hard to listen to. It's technical but incredibly chaotic. Bands like Fear Before the March of Flames and Dillinger Escape Plan's songs seem like Top 40 hits when compared to any Locust album. This EP, as with their other releases, is a 10 minute, 9 second train wreck that leaves you confused, bewildered, and in awe of them by the time it ends.
Safety Second, Body Last consists of 4 movements, Armless and Overactive (1 songs), Invented Organs (2 songs), One Decent Leg (2 songs), and Immune System Overtime (1 song). The EP starts off in the same way all Locust albums start, lots of screaming and dissonant guitar work played at an insane speed for a very brief amount of time (read as literally seconds). The band experiments a little more though with the Crucial Blast Records style of doom rock, screaming vocals, slow, technical, and with plenty of keyboard oddity, than they have in the past. The pace quickly changes to a more back and forth style that kind of sounds like a DJ in a fight to the death with a bunch of grindcore bands.
I really dig this EP. While it's no more accessible than any of the bands previous efforts (nor do they care about being accessible) it is COMPLETELY different than just about anything you are likely to hear. These guys take some effort to get into initially but if you are into any of the aforementioned bands or the likes of bands like Genghis Tron and Infidel?/Castro! then The Locust is a band you should know about if you don't already. If you are a fan, this will more than satisfy you.
3/4
