Gravity Propulsion System "Get Destroy" (Ascetic)
By Lucas Salg
Monday. Nov 21, 1:27 AM
A wonderfully tense balance between noise and melody.

Another scorcher from Ascetic (it must be something in the water). This took me a couple listens to warm up to, in that I haven’t really been into a band of this style for a while; Gravity Propulsion System indulge in the kind of audio shrapnel once purveyed by the likes of Big Black, Pussy Galore, early Sonic Youth, etc. Big shards of metallic noise over driving rhythms, alternating between atonal drones and full-on destruction: the kind of stuff I would have fallen head over heels for about 10 years ago.

But any band in the world can rehash “Bad Moon Rising,” set their guitars up against the amps while the drummer pounds away. I guess what I like about Gravity Propulsion System is that they have a strong melodic undercurrent that runs through most of the songs. Sure, they’re capable of massive sonic maelstroms, but they also have an ear for off-kilter melodies. The best songs here let those tendencies bubble to the surface, like the terrific “Sixes and Ones,” which maintains a wonderfully tense balance between the noise and the melody, never quite letting either have free reign.

Gravity Propulsion System occasionally stumble when they let their self-indulgent, “fuck everything up” MO run rampant, like on the wearying four-part closer “Time Decay,” which begins with tinny canned beats and proceeds to bludgeon you with sheets of impenetrable noise for 14 minutes, wandering aimlessly. But when the band gets focused – like the one-two punch of openers “What Can I Say” and “Mouth” – Get Destroy is an invigoratingly abrasive blast and a hell of a fun ride. It’s like 1994 all over again… or something. In a good way. Recommended, but bring ear plugs.
www.gravitypropulsionsystem.com
www.asceticrecords.com

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Lucas Salg

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