Great Falls - Accidents Grotesque

There are three certainties in this fucked up world: Death, taxes and Great Falls. Accidents Grotesque – the follow-up to the Seattle trio’s well-regarded 2011 full-length Fontanelle – is a beacon of truth for the godless masses, a dizzying blend of mathematical hardcore and grind in the vein of Narrows and KEN Mode. Guitarist/vocalist Demian Johnston and bassist Shane Mehling are tight bros from way back when and spent the better part of the last decade peddling noise in Playing Enemy and Hemingway; virtuosic drummer Phil Petrocelli (ex-Jesu) has been a fixture in Great Falls since Fontanelle came out. Demian and Shane’s old drum machine is now in a landfill. All three of the members of Great Falls are creative professionals, so it follows that Accidents Grotesque acts like a giant canvas for the trio’s experiments with positive/negative space and finely-etched arrangements. The intensity of Great Falls’ frenetic live performances is echoed on this intense 37+ minute outpouring, the band’s most fully-realized recording yet. Accidents Grotesque is, in turns, angular and alienating, heart-wrenching and crestfallen. This album does a deep dive to find beauty in ugliness. This is no mean feat, but Great Falls is very much up to the challenge.