Khost [Deconstructed and Reconstructed B — Needles Into the Ground

Khost's most recent album, Corrosive Shroud, fluidly blended doom and industrial elements and painted a grim, haunting, mechanical soundscape. With this base to work from, Justin Broadrick of Godflesh took Khost's excellent album, deconstructed it, and then reconstructed it (hence the name) to come up with something very different. Needles Into the Ground sits nicely between both Khost's and Godflesh's sounds, sounds a lot like both, but thankfully stands out on its own.

Short and sweet, Needles Into the Ground is four tracks of crunchy, heavy, beat laden industrial. After a brief intro, "Inversion" kicks into full gear with persistent, metallic, industrial drums. Dissonant, noisy guitars (?) play on top like a robot marching band gone wrong (or totally right). Sparing no crunch, this one plods along spreading it's message of grim, mechanical demise. Low, oscillating rumbles pull along the next track, "A Shadow on the Wound." Less plodding and pounding than "Inversion," "Shadow" adds an extra level of despair with harsh, machine god vocals. The longest song on this release, "Shadow" grows, groans, and creeps its way through its 7:49 and constantly feels fresh. Thorough source decimation takes hold in "Revelations Vultures Jackals Wolves." Crispy and crunchy like Butterfinger, "Revelations" grinds forward with distorted, deconstructed glee. The beat blends in with the crackled fuzz and this one takes on more of subliminal feel. "Deathsset" rounds out Needles in something akin to a Dissecting Table track. Hypnotic, tinny drums draw the listener in only to be slapped by noisy highs. Less pummeling than the previous tracks, "Deathsset" brings the album to a close on a very high note.

Repurposing another's material is a daunting task. Luckily, in the hands of genre vet Justin Broadrick, the resulting chaos is enjoyable and band new. Bounding along with an industrial force, Needles Into the Ground is a fresh take on Khost's Corrosive Shroud. Hearing this collaboration makes me hope that more fun albums like this are in Cold Spring's future.