Moshquito - World's End (2001)

After what must have seemed like a long and frustrating period of inactivity, due to climates outside the band itself, it must have felt like a relief for the Germans Moshquito to get their debut Secrets out in 1998, and then move forward. World's End sees the band on Morbid Records, and it continues in the same, thick and bombastic direction as its predecessor, but the semi-technical writing with grooving hooks seems to have been sharpened here. The problem is that there are just too many grooves and mid-paced tracks, and very few of them feature impressive riffing or anything more than the average slug-fest you'd expect from, say, Hate Squad or some other purveyor of mediocrity.

"World's End" itself is an exception, incorporating synthesizers and acoustic guitars for a rare atmosphere that works well with the steadied, plodding guitars and constipated, brutal vocal tone, and had the entire album involves such an atmosphere it would have made a far more unique and compelling listen. I can't say that the individual riffs standout, but the leads slice right through and its a mature, engrossing listen. There are a few others with the same aesthetic, namely "Cold Grave" and "Liquid Killer" which both has great bass work involved, but to even arrive at this point you'll have had to wade through less impressive numbers like "Do What You Want" and "Animals". The band too seldom picks up the pace, aside from a few outbreaks in "Hunting Demon" or "Flesh", so despite the album's admittedly dark and sobering tone, it does eventually develop some degree of ennui in listening, like frost slowly gathering in the eardrums.

The production is also not that hot, but then this was not exactly a high budget recording. The guitar and bass players are talented enough, trying to keep the compositions hectic in spite of their methodical plotting, but they're not mixed very well together, and I don't care for the guitar tone in general, it's too reminiscent of other dull groove/thrash records which sound absolutely lifeless. The vocals are suitably angry but monotonous after a spell, this guy will rarely attempt anything outside of his safety zone, and the material suffers as a result, especially those cuts that hint at a deeper beauty (the title track, for example). World's End is somewhat of a progression from the debut, but a sideways progression, with a few interesting ideas that don't seem fully enough developed.

Verdict: Indifference [5.5/10]

http://www.myspace.com/moshquitometal