Plenty of bands do a lot with compact lineups, but few can match the huge black-hole vortex of sound that Petbrick creates. The London-based duo of British multi-instrumentalist and producer Wayne Adams and legendary Brazilian metal drummer Iggor Cavalera came together a few years ago with a plan to make “horrible noise” without compromise. But as Petbrick peeled away self-imposed limits, they wound up making something magical—and yes, as far as I’m concerned it’s magic when a band can bundle together cinema-worthy synth composition, D-beat, and experimental electronics and leave me wanting more. On their new second album, Liminal, Petbrick break their own mold again, exploring a planet in the throes of self-destruction while twisting a mix of styles—industrial, noise, samba, hardcore, hip-hop—into their futuristic diatribes. Some of those sounds might seem like unlikely bedfellows, but despite Petbrick’s disorienting atmospheres, listening to Liminal feels a lot like reading a page-turner of a sci-fi novel. Assisting them in their mission are a handful of guest vocalists who enhance their explorations: Converge’s Jacob Bannon peels the paint off the walls with his performance on “Grind You Dull,” while New York rappers Lord Goat and Truck Jewelz drop verses on “Lysergic Aura,” which could soundtrack a hallucinatory voyage to the underworld and back. One of the most powerful tracks is “Distorted Peace,” a doomy, droning missive featuring vocalist Paula Rebellato of Brazilian psych trio Rakta. Petbrick’s alternate world might be a dystopia, but it still offers an excellent escape from the daily realities of the one we’re in now.
Petbrick’s Liminal is available through Bandcamp.
