Taint Of South Wales are something of an enigma. Many have striven to place
their sound within a handy genre definition, only to find themselves
wondering whether a band so dynamic and full of surprises can really be
called 'sludge', or whether music so antithetical to boredom can justifiably
be termed 'post-hardcore'. Taint's 2005 full-length debut for Rise Above,
'The Ruin Of Nova Roma' was a crafty beast that revelled in contructing such
riddles for the listener and, of course, the critic. Pigeonholes are for
pigeons, after all. It's the purpose of great rock groups to not quite fit
in.
Formed as teenagers in 1994 amid the South Wales DIY punk/metal scene, Taint
released a few demo cassettes of epic Helmet-influenced riffology which
landed them with a stoner/doom tag that would, eventually, become
superfluous. In 2000 the 'Die Die Truthspeaker' mini-album was released on
London's Household Name Records and national shows were played with the
likes of Acrimony, Canvas, Capdown, Cathedral, Consumed, Converge, Clutch,
Earth Crisis, Hard To Swallow, Iron Monkey, Stampin' Ground, Spirit Caravan
and Will Haven. Where many of those bands have disbanded or changed beyond
all recognition, Taint are still here, following their own path with
determination and purpose, their recent UK tour with Clutch leaving many
jaws dangling open at the sheer intensity and fervour the band are able to
generate live. Which brings us to their second full-length album release,
'Secrets And Lies'.
As with '...Nova Roma', 'Secrets And Lies' was produced by the band and
mixed by ex-Fudge Tunnel/Nailbomb guitarist turned successful studio hound
Alex Newport (Melvins/At The Drive In/The Locust et al). In Newport the band
have found an ideal collaborator, a figure who instinctively understands how
good, angry, heartfelt rock music should sound. As such, 'Secrets And Lies'
is neither undercooked or overheated, it simmers with rage yet never boils
over.
The album is an object lesson in sustained tension, reinforced with the
toughest of hooks and complex dynamics which suggest a certain familiarity
with the murky world of prog while remaining firmly grounded in aggressive,
energetic punk-informed rock. And the riffs! Every track is blessed with the
kind of infectious gut-level riffage lesser bands would give not only their
eye teeth but a mouthful of precious pearly whites to procure.
There are, as previously mentioned, some stylistic surprises in store. The
grim medievalism of 'What The Crow Saw' soon accelerates into a speedy,
windswept dash complete with flute and somewhat reminiscent of
'Presence'-era Led Zeppelin in its breathless momentum, albeit invested with
a vital streak of hardcore pugnacity. But most of all, 'Secrets And Lies'
witnesses Taint exploring the limits of what they do and pushing beyond,
perfecting themselves without forfeiting the abrasive edge that
characterised their previous releases and provided their initial promise.
They have delivered one of this year's most powerful albums, and a wake up
call to British rock.
Taint 'Secrets And Lies' Uk Tour, April '07.
All photos by Steward Ravel.
Taint @ La Place, Caen, France, 4/4/08
Taint @ Sonic, Lyon, France, 1/4/08
Taint - August Tour Announced!'s Friend Space (Top 20)
Tuesday July 22nd The Junction, Bristol, BS13QP 4 quid, 8pm
LL = raging hardcore punk from the sunshine state in a born against / husker du style! TSL = 60's garage, 70's punk, 80's hardcore - to the max! FV = awesome heartfelt rites of spring-esque hardcore from south wales! WP = local crust stalwarts, ex-gurkha / ripcord / cruelty / dumbstruck and so on and so on...
Yeah, I know you're playing closer... but I'm off up to Leeds to see some old friends, including Dale n' Bri from Goatspeed (formerly in John Holmes & Manfat) and they're opening the gig on Saturday... also Gords said he'd probably meet us there too. Apart from all that... I'm well into Taint too.
Rock poster show includes the work of: Chaos vs. Cosmos, Drew Millward, Jacknife, Luke Drozd, Kate Kamikaze, Michael Cowell, Graham Pilling, Jemma Treweek, Tom A, Jamie McGregor, Two Ducks Disco, Rhyfer Inc. - Rhys Wootton, 3D Glasses, Droid.
WHOLE LOTTA' LED - 1ST AUGUST FREE FALL FELIX - 13TH AUGUST A WILHELM SCREAM - 17TH AUGUST. LIGHTSPEED CHAMPION - 18TH AUGUST ETERNAL LORD - 26TH AUGUST SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY - 3RD SEPTEMBER INME - 4TH SEPTEMBER SUMMER SLAUGHTER TOUR - 8TH SEPTEMBER THE MIRIMAR DISASTER - 9TH SEPTEMBER BACKYARD BABIES - 11TH SEPTEMBER WILKO JOHNSON - 12TH SEPTEMBER
