Drugs Of Faith - Drugs Of Faith

I'm addicted to Drugs... of Faith. They're like reruns of Cops - every song has an aura of self-abuse, domestic violence, uncontrolled aggression and multiple personality disorders. The lyrics read like a news ticker of Jeffery Dahmer's demented thoughts and once in a while there is some spark of a street smart police officer's advice, off handedly muttered while chasing down some inner demons in a Chevy pickup with expired plates and a loose-cannon in the driver seat chewing tobacco hell bent on getting home to give his mobile home wife a kiss before being hauled off to the slammer for indecent exposure at a cousin's thirteenth birthday party. Way to go guys... you made the shortest most intense audio-representation of trailer park car chases and like Cops, I'm lovin' every boozed second of the distorted reality we see on shows dedicated to the underbelly of American society.

The production on Drugs Of Faith's eponymous debut is very similar to the 2008 demo. Notable differences are difficult to pinpoint. Most notable for me is the mixing and tone of Taryn's bass guitar. The bass on the recently released demo was more prominent, though only slightly, and more gritty and harsh. That harshness is still prevalent and audible on this recording though she takes, what I feel, is a less influential role; jumping in the backseat of that speeding Chevy. Taryn still shines though in, among other tracks, opener "Never Fail," churning out spaghetti-like strands of dirt and dissonance almost halfway through the song.
The dissonance and noise crusting up the edges of Drugs of Faith's sound on their latter demo is marked here on their earlier work. Though not as purposefully included as on their latter work, Richard's disregard for "polishing" this turd-like offering has created enough crevices for the festering and moldy growth of sincerity to promptly find a home among the eight kernels and create the truthful and honest stench that so many albums lack. Richard's guitar playing on the album is excellent, never pretentious, always emotive and natural.

If I had to narrow down my thoughts to a single, long winded paragraph, Drugs of Faith would receive honors in a multitude of categories. "Drugs of Faith" is serious, overtly angry and cynical emotional nihilism perpetrated through cryptic and tricky yet witty and uniquely misanthropically multi-angled lyrics splattered with a rusted iron mallet over a background of bloody muddy oil / water noise puddles. Imagine Anti-Cimex and Nasty Boys with an Isis styled fluidity and you're half-way there. The other half is the totally original delivery of these filthy crust bastards.