Album Review: Uniform – Shame
Another helping of industrial nihilism from New York's Uniform
Industrial music often takes on an inhuman and mechanical air, adding an element of sterile robotics to even the heaviest hitting of songs. Uniform are one of the few exceptions to this rule, the raw emotional edge they bring to the table, alongside fast and rough punk overtones, render their music imperfectly human.
This has never been more apparent than on fourth full length Shame. Debuting Mike Sharp on drums, the live element of the percussion compared with the programmed drumming of past releases allows Uniform to take on an entirely different sound. Their metallic edge is no less sharp, however, and the songs are more erratic than on previous releases, which serves to bolster the white hot anger of every lyric vocalist Michael Berdan spews forth. The unusual element of placing the vocals below the guitars allows for the instruments to do the majority of the heavy lifting, while the human voices create an atmosphere of tension and unease. The words may not always be decipherable amidst the noise and distortion, but the malicious intent is in no way diluted.
Shame is a weighty slab of industrial punk that is effectively the soundtrack to a tortured soul mentally coming apart. Reinventing a core element of themselves, Uniform present a side they have previously kept boiling angrily under a darkened surface.
Verdict: 4/5
For Fans Of: Godflesh, Full Of Hell, Author & Punisher
Shame is released on September 11 via Sacred Bones
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