Tool meets Opeth with a few visits from Pink Floyd could describe the UK based trio Pet Slimmers of the Year. A rare breed, making instrumental music interesting with limited to no vocals. They transcend genres with multi-layered guitars, hypnotic bass lines, crushing riffs and groove oriented drum patterns. They formed in 2008, releasing a self-titled EP in 2009 gaining rave reviews earning a healthy underground following. A second EP by demand And The Sky Fell was released in 2011. This year’s Fragments of Uniforms available in the US May 6th from Candlelight Records.
Arterias starts with a sea’s like tranquility opening the song and record. A building of drums like mountainous scenery begins with ambiance laden guitars that get the fuzz out at the two minute mark. A musical run through the woods, not lost, not scared just running towards something at the other side of the clearing. There’s a short appearance of vocals at 4:30 leading to a harder, melancholy change in sound leading to lush gardens of painted guitar. Gathering Half the Deep and Full starts a waking dawn of sound room drum beats, knocking you out of your dream state. Guitar played with mandolin effect and jumping, throbbing bass like a frog’s tongue waiting to snap at an unsuspecting insect. Guitars get more hard and ambitious like a growing upward spiral then slow down breathing slowly with a bass groove at 6:50 finishing with a Tool like crescendo.
Tides bring a pleasant calm, like chord rain drops on piano strings, playing the day away with background guitars sounding like flutes playing dreamlike scape’s and patterns like an Etch A Sketch mural created with electric pens on a virtual canvas. Mare Imbrium has tribal drums and guitars with serious intent with instruments coming together like a synchronized language. A hard jam erupts at 2:40 slowing down as guitars continue their relaxed, focused conversation with whale like bass calling in the distance. Deep dark noted tension begins, giving way to an explosion of anger and deep throated hostility. Cooler strings prevail on the neck though temper’s still remain. Churning of the Sea of Milk’s got Sabbathy guitar slams, with a Damageplan, Corrosion Of Conformity groove, calming with soft Bono-like echo vocals with bass and guitar in almost individual thought patterns. Guitars turn grindy and heavy building towards the end in true show closing fashion.
Days Since I Disappeared is a sweet, tender guitar plucked remembrance reminiscence of memories with guitars musically captivating and capturing the joys of childhood with hard heavy happy notes, ending with the trailing sounds of nostalgia. Fragments, as night falls above the city lights and all-night cabs pass under neon signs flickering their lit-up messages off and on, sunlight activities settle down as the city turns to sleep with only the insomniacs welcoming the early nocturne. La Tormenta’s quick vocals with new beginnings of guitar, playing towards an unknown future with racing drums, distant vocals and finishing with lawnmower buzzed guitars.
