Review: “Cages” by Cell Press

Mixed by Scott Evans (Kowloon Walled City, Town Portal, Great Falls) at Antisleep Audio and mastered by Carl Saff (Ken Mode, Blacklisters, Fu Manchu, Childbite), a debut album from Montreal Canadians Cell Press is an intriguing offering, based on the evidence of their November 2020 debut self titled EP alone. That was nothing short of a Molotov cocktail of Hardcore, Sludge, Punk and Metal from a band who take their name from the 2001 Russian prison documentary “The Mark Of Cain”. The brutal humanity of that film is reflected in the music of that record: on the surface, it’s raw and punishing but embracing that unveils complexities and nuances that rise to the surface once the white noise dissipates as the musicians known for their prior convictions in The Great Sabatini, Biipiigwan, I Hate Sally, The Chariot, Swarm Of Spheres, Angles, Animal Ethics and Architect wreak havoc. Written over the two years between 2021 and 2022, a period with many highs and lows for the World as a whole, “Cages” is as gritty, intelligent, unapologetic and angry as the bands self titled offering. Lyrically the record is thinly veiled mixed mag of raw emotions, the combination of cathartic vents on issues both social and political, introverted reflections on hopelessness and even a dystopian tale or two…

It begins in earnest with “Adult Baptisms“, a cut that questions the reality of mass media alongside warm, fuzzy Stoner Sludge Metal riffs, the drop out for a bass driven passage rather than a solo feeling far more appropriate given the nature of this beast. Moving further into Black Sabbath inspired riffs for worship “Kissed by a Morose on Mont Royal” gets quirky with odd time signatures and Math Rock leanings, Sean Arsenian providing the strings to PQ’s savage bark while taking a leaf from the Glassjaw playbook in the process. A dystopian tale set in the town of Elliot Lake, Ontario in the year 2088 “Original Uranium Baby” then has the kind of earworm riff that simply refuses to leave the dance floor of your cerebral cortex once it has started to get sweaty. It may lack the pace of an Every Time I Die but in its place it has a unique intensity that brings an entirely different energy as the minds eye is prized open by the crowbar of the lyrical narrative. There can be no doubting the passion and conviction of Cell Press with the punchier and more aggressive “Dark Side of the North” a furious riot starting political statement about the lack of clean drinking water in the northern communities of Canada. PQ’s vocals are so caustic that you wonder if his larynx will survive, the driven nature of this beast heavier as it carries that weight of emotion. If only our politicians were as passionate. Slowing things down for a primitive Noise Metal cut that threatens to falls into Will Haven territory, “JOI to the World” circles the drain of being sonically uncomfortable with off kilter riffs rolling out of the amplifier in nauseating fashion. The acceptance that situations can be hopeless and things won’t ever change is the bitterest pill to swallow and the ugly soundscape fits like the glove on the hand of the serial killer.

The eclectically titled “Disco Naps on the Devil’s Bedpost” talks openly about addiction and consumption, the swirling bass and thunderous drums keeping the discerning listener on the edge of their seat throughout. A thoughtful tune that brings home the bacon, it dredges up numerous issues that politicians have swept under the carpet for decades. The head f*** that is “Blue Royale” is a backwards tune with a sample that might make you feel like your brain is about to implode but feels in keeping with the straight jacket wearing patient depicted by Sean Arsenian in the cover art. They say that art reflects life and that’s perfectly true with this. If the title of the track didn’t give it away “Recoil (A Collective Behaviour of Violence)” is one that questions gun culture with a menacing mid tempo chug and gang chants thrown in for good measure. It’s the final 39 seconds that make the track, a flourish of Hardcore Punk energy appearing seemingly from out of nowhere to punch you in the side of the head before walking away with a smug grin. Mark McGee saves his finest kit performance until the albums grand finale with “Things They Do in France“, a song about love lost and how good it could have been if it wasn’t so toxic to which we can all relate. Playing with textures and tempos, this one twists and contorts with alarming regularity before the downtempo finish which can only be described as a Chef’s Kiss moment. Heed the warning. Cell Press have something to say. [7.5/10]

1. Adult Baptisms
2. Kissed by a Morose on Mont Royal
3. Original Uranium Baby
4. Dark Side of the North
5. JOI to the World
6. Disco Naps on the Devil’s Bedpost
7. Blue Royale
8. Recoil (A Collective Behaviour of Violence)
9. Things They Do in France

“Cages” by Cell Press is out 8th March 2024 and is available over at bandcamp