Pic Tony Stanley
From sound and presence to voracity and appeal, there is nothing lightweight about the debut release From US band No Way. The four-track Sing Praises EP is a brute of an introduction to the Brooklyn quartet, a compelling and enslaving tempest of noise and invention fusing thick essences of noise and punk rock with those of sludge and heavy melodic rock. Some bands seem to instinctively tune in to the listener’s wants and primal needs, and it is fair to say that No Way certainly fed and intensively satisfied ours.
No Way was formed in 2012, swiftly making their mark on the New York punk scene. Drawing comparisons to the likes of Helmet and Unsane, the band were soon sculpting their own distinct presence and sound, unafraid to infuse varied styles and raw spices into the mix of sound mentioned earlier. Their live reputation has also grown from those early potent days with the foursome sharing stages with bands such as Whores., Fight Amp, Black Tusk, Inter Arma, American Sharks, Cancer Bats, Naam and White Hills. That attention will only be broadened and strengthened by the release of Sing Praises, the Andrew Schneider (Unsane, Pelican, Shrinebuilder) recorded and Carl Saff (Young Widows, Helms Alee, OFF!, Kowloon Walled City, Big Business) mastered proposition an imposing slab of prime sonic and rhythmic beef flavoured with an imagination and a creative intrigue to get the taste buds singing.
The release looms up on ears with opener The Cutting and within a breath is walling them in with bulging riffs and debilitating rhythms. It is an imposing start but only the teaser to greater things as warped sonic scythes from guitars 
add to the brewing mayhem. Vocalist Chuck Berrett is as a formidable a presence as the song itself, his raw and growling tones an instant lure complimenting and inciting further the rugged turbulence around him. At its heart there is the inventiveness of a Melvins to the song and the caustic beauty of a Cancer Bats whilst the core swagger to grooves is Coal Chamber bred, their swing reminding of the song Sway. It is a merciless seduction gnawing and flirting with thoughts and emotions, an immediate pinnacle matched straight away by Shake the Meat.
The second track makes a less intensive but just as gripping entrance, the guitar of Jordan Melkin coaxing ears and imagination with potent hooks as ripe and pungent beats from drummer Chris Enriquez provide an intimidating cage. Further enhanced and coloured by the throaty bass bait of Dave Maffei alongside the varied and fierce vocals, the track is an unpredictable and insatiable predator threatening and teasing with impassioned aggression and shadow bred, bordering on deranged enterprise. The riveting blaze is followed by the exceptional prowl and creative stalking of War Dance. It is a hypnotic proposition, a lone riff accompanied by this time more restrained tones from Berrett the initial drama; bait subsequently joined by merciless slaps from Enriquez and eventually stoner-esque hues within explosive roars. The song hunts the senses and psyche from start to finish, even its intermittent immersive and invasive sonic squalls a menace which increases the theatre induced by the engrossing single minded slim stalking either side of them
The track is scintillating and leaves the appetite greedier than ever so thankfully closing track Pastures / Abuelas is more than able to feed the hunger. Over eight minutes of imaginative tension, it is a rigorously captivating pursuit of the senses loading with vicious bass growls, savage riffs, and a sprawling thick sonic smog, all punctuated with a rhythmic resourcefulness which leaves ears bruised and emotions raw. There is also a psychedelic smearing to the atmosphere and inventive colour of the track but it is the hellacious and brutal ingenuity of the track, as well as the stoner bred grooves further into its adventure, which lingers longest and the deepest in the psyche. Dark and ravenous with greater menace in its restraint than a full-out assault could achieve, the track is a delicious immersion and challenge as well as another open side to No Way’s sound.
Sing Praises is an exceptional debut from a band with all the potential to be a potent and inspiring force ahead on the evidence of this stunning entrance. No Way seem to know what ears and instincts want in heavy, brutal, and incendiary exploratory sounds, and of course this is only the beginning….
The Sing Praises EP is available now digitally and on cassette @ http://www.nowayny.com
https://www.facebook.com/nowayny
RingMaster 07/11/2014
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