Lie Still

'Demo'
Lie Still
2011

Review by Joey

Genre/s: Powerviolence
For Fans Of: Crossed Out, Mindless, Despise You, Suffer

This band was one of the best modern powerviolence bands, and sadly -- in part due to their short lifespan -- they were also one of the most overlooked and underrated. I mentioned them in my review of the Triac / Sacridose split as being "west coast powerviolence saviors," and they really were. In the sea of cheap imitators and wannabes (or should I say the Sea Of Shit...), Lie Still managed to keep things fresh and dangerous. And I guess it certainly didn't hurt that members had previously played in the legendary bands Benümb and Lack Of Interest.

Lie Still's music wasn't a huge break from the classic powerviolence formula, but they still stood out among their primarily mediocre peers. Their success (musically) stems from their ability to channel uncontrollable intensity into a focused blast. Most contemporary powerviolence bands fall flat because they can't reproduce the pure aggression of the old WCPV bands (plus they steal Crossed Out riffs and have ill fitting production and do the goofy football coach vocals and can't seem to write compelling music). Lie Still had no problem with this (or any of those other things I mentioned in the previous parenthetical). Their riffs were in that sweet spot between powerviolence and grind, where it's got a heavy edge but is undeniably punk as fuck, the vocals unreasonably angry, the drumming tight and driving. Unfortunately, they burned out too soon and left us with only 11 songs in 7 minutes. I was lucky enough to catch them on what I believe was their only east coast tour; it was with Triac -- what a fucking combo.

If you want some of the most badass, truly fucked up powerviolence that's come out in recent years, this is a must. Listen and destroy.

Tracklisting:
1. Persuaded By Comfort
2. Aborted Resources
3. Manipulation Of Waring Factions
4. Path Of Conviction
5. Retention Of Molecular Balance
6. Interupting Simple Functions
7. Enslaved And Left To Die
8. Corrosive
9. Value Of Limitations
10. Desperation Of Approval
11. Compelled

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