Ackermann’s use and manipulation of pedals is all A Place To Bury Strangers needs in order to be successful. The drumming heartbeat of “Lost Feeling” pulsates as guitars screech and reverb in-and-out as Ackermann sings ‘I’m dying to meet you/I’m dying to see you/I’m dying to hold your hand/ I’m dying to have you/ some things never go away/ but the feeling’s gone, the feeling is gone.’ Clearly, even the lyrics are removed of any type of sugar-coating. Once again, it is this sort of self-esteem that allows A Place To Bury Strangers to be removed of any unnecessary experimentation in order to separate themselves from their self-titled album and other bands. With every riff, A Place To Bury Strangers burst with confidence and the safety knowing that what they are writing is in perfect harmony. Never flashy, yet always effective, whether the bass glosses a bridge or introduces any particular track it is simply divine. “Smile When You Smile” swirls behind hypnotizing snare hits, as its pop-laden verses manage the song until it fades into the bass-heavy “Everything Always Goes Wrong.” In fact, the bass riffs in Exploding Head are astonishingly simple in theory, yet the removal would be detrimental to any sort of album identity (it helps when the bassist does not act as an underlying patsy to the guitar for the entire album). Ackermann sings when necessary, songs end when they should, and every hook, whether vocally or instrumentally, compliments almost too well. In short, Exploding Head was planned perfectly, starting with the vocal management. Softly spoken, but never overpowered, guitarist/singer Oliver Ackermann does no harm to any particular track.
What makes A Place To Bury Strangers so appealing is their fusion of dissonant guitar riffs that mingle with gorgeous vocal work all within a dense atmosphere. In fact, to an unsuspecting listener, A Place To Bury Strangers’ newest album, Exploding Head might as well be the most badass thing they have ever heard. And while they account for a relative minority, there are people whom refuse to listen to dated music (i.e. With their self-titled debut, we found a stripped down, poorly produced album that was rightly praised despite its lack of fine tuning. What they are doing now is far more important. So there, that will be the last time A Place To Bury Strangers will be compared to their influences. A Place To Bury Strangers are basically the second coming of the legendary shoegaze/post-punk bands of the past twenty/thirty years.
Review Summary: Exploding Head is the next defining step in A Place To Bury Strangers' short span
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