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MYSPACE: http://www.myspace.com/trenchesofficial
ALBUM TITLE: The Tide Will Swallow Us Whole (2008)
PURCHASE: Amazon, Amazon mp3, Solid State Store

As a die hard UnderOATH fan, I keep a pretty steady watch on the Solid State Records newsreel, always looking for something to quench my thirst in between UO releases (Sound of Separation still has me salivating). Trenches, one of the most recent newcomers to the ever growing roster of very heavy bands on Solid State, have successfully put together what I'm prepared to recognize as a very versatile, genre-bending first album. SS bands need anything but more publicity but I figured I'd put in my two cents before my opinion gets swallowed by the tide of metal lovers that are bound to latch onto Trenches' first record: The Tide Will Swallow Us Whole.

Alright, so here's the disclaimer: this record is really heavy. I'm no metal fan, by any means, but this record has an undeniable element of musicality that I'm not about to ignore. The band manages to maintain their ambient, ghostliness while stepping outside of the box and writing interludes in major keys (for the tone deaf: major keys, plainly, are usually song keys that sound "happy" while minor keys generally have a "sad" sound). "Call it Correct" and "Trip the Landmine" are perfect examples of this: halfway through "...Landmine" , a groove locks in and a triumphant guitar piece builds underneath some extremely diabolical growls by vocalist Jimmy Ryan, formerly of Haste the Day. Lyrically, Ryan's introspective, spirituality strikes a chord with me. I can really appreciate a man screaming at the top of his lung's when he's not bluffing suicide or promoting death or sex.

Rhythmically, I couldn't be happier with the Trenches debut. The drums on the record are fat and crisp all the same; they really knock you on the floor, even though drummer Phil Hook keeps his clever, effective beats very simple. The majority of the tracks are very spacy and slow, sporting a sort of Deftones vibe, with chromatic, climbing, and almost unnatural vocal melodies that more or less hang above each song. This ambiance and intelligent, rhythmic simplicity lend to some quality head bobbing.

Metal heads that love extra aggressive stuff needn't avoid this album either though. "End", which oddly enough is Track 8/10 off the album, really picks up the tempo. I have to say, though, that Trenches is at it's finest when it creates a slow, spacy, and grungy atmosphere. "End" strips them of the identity they established on the previous tracks and lots them with a grossly overpopulated category of metal bands. This makes for an exceptionally satisfying following track: "Ocean Currents." The originality returns and is as bright as day; progressive, atmospheric, expansive, and brutal - Trenches seal the deal here.

I decided to look deeper into Tide and write this post after hearing their newest track, "A Taste of What is to Come," a really beautiful, short number that sounds a lot like UO's slower Define the Great Line work. It's not much to go by, but I'm definitely looking forward to Trenches' next release and expecting to enjoy it a lot more than the already satisfying Tide.

THE SKINNY: Trenches' Jimmy Ryan, former vocalist of Haste The Day, contributes a truckload of brutality with latest release, The Tide Will Swallow Us Whole. The real treat, however, does not lie with the vocal force, but rather the instrumental ambiance and overall heaviness the band delivers over the course of the album. With only minor blemishes, Tide will have most heavy music fans bobbing their head as the band creates a signature, surprisingly approachable, spacious and thick blanket of gritty sound.
FAVORITE TRACK: Ocean Currents
FOR FANS OF: Deftones, Haste The Day, UnderOATH