EXECUTIONER’S MASK has returned with their latest release, “…ALMOST THERE,” a 30-minute EP that embodies the dark, visceral intensity the band has become known for. With this dark post punk trip, the band refines their sound to a razor’s edge, stripping down each track to its raw essence.
Recorded over three scorching days in Houston, TX, the album is a relentless exploration of longing, survival, and the relentless pull of the abyss.
The band, consisting of Craig Mickle (guitar), Melissa Lonchambon (drums), Anthony Charletta (bass), Daniel Gaona (guitar), and Jay Gambit (vocals), has built upon the foundation laid by their previous works, from the critically acclaimed “Despair Anthems” to the ethereal “Winterlong.”
This time, they draw upon the unfiltered artistic vision of Gerald Scarfe (PINK FLOYD) and the production expertise of Anthony Sanchez and Jack Endino (MARK LANEGAN, SOUNDGARDEN), creating a sound that is as gritty as it is immersive.
For fans of MAD SEASON, TOTAL CONTROL, SCREAMING TREES, and SWIRLIES, this EP is a must-listen. It delves into the darker corners of post-punk, goth, and grunge, with each track offering a unique narrative – an aggressive shoegaze storm, a bleak post-punk reverie, a goth-grunge lament.
Dedicated to Robert Morris, “…Almost There” is an EP that demands attention, whether on vinyl from Seeing Red Records, cassette from Summer Darling Tapes, or CD from À La Carte Records.
Now, let’s dive into it, track by track:
1. Devoured
Devoured is a Fools Gold Loaf sandwich. Right off the bat, it’s gonna hit you with that melty peanut butter that holds all the cracks in the French Bread together. Then that sticky jam comes in and melds its bright sweetness with that peanutty richness. It’s all familiar but then- the salt kicks in. It’s not the peanut salt, it’s smoky and meaty. It’s that bacon. And yeah, it’s a little heavy to start with but it’s also a great tone setter.
2. Losing A Fixed Game
There’s that bacon again, but this time it’s in a totally different context. This time we’re running up against the freshness of a perfectly ripe tomato. There’s the bread crunch too, but it’s much more subdued now – in the form of toasted white bread, it’s dryness counterbalanced by the fatty richness of Duke’s mayonnaise and the crisp subtlety of iceberg lettuce. It’s all the layers at once, it’s all the flavors at once, but still – simple and digestible.
3. Mezcal Perfume
This is a marinara song, without a doubt. Fluffy, delicate meatballs drape themselves in rivers of marinara on this one – with the marriage of hot provolone and low moisture mozzarella engulfing each other to a unified point. An ephemeral beauty, because it needs to be enjoyed primitively, viscerally, before it collapses in on itself.
4. Failed Dreams II
A $4 footlong Sabrett hot dog from a cart in the dead of summer, with a cold Miller High Life. And then another.
5. Sunset In The Valley
An Oki-Dog. And then another.
6. A Modest Proposal
And we return to the French Bread, this time from Aversa’s Bakery. Inside the womb of this perfectly crisped vessel sits a bounty of shaved ribeye from Pennsylvania cattle. Substantially sized, yet uniformly diced onions give a hint of their sweetness in trade with heat and beef fat. Oily, spicy peppers cling to the meat like a blanket in the freezing snow. A faint pull of provolone, barely there but binding all forces.
7. Lovers In Hell
Not quite a sandwich, but whatever – this is definitely a sausage egg and cheese kolache on a cold morning after a long night of drinking brown liquor. It’s warm, it’s rich, it’s filling – it’s pure nourishment.
8. On Park Row
A Vietnamese po-boy from Frosty’s Caffe in New Orleans. In the rain.
