Pat: Following several D-Tox seven-inches and an appearance on the Pyloric Waves compilation, the debut full-length by Greensboro's Geezer Lake sharpens the band's attack for one of the best mood albums in recent memory. And it's a bad mood. Combining all-out thrash/punk with a lone soulful trumpet, Geezer Lake is as likely to use taped B-movie dialogue as snarled homemade vocals. When the playing is slow, this music can be beautiful and haunting, and when the band heats up, it's like an elephant stampede. See 'em live.
Todd: I'll throw out "jazzy" and "metallic" to start, then add "odd time signatures," "harsh pounding noise," "phat bass," "gorgeous pastoral interludes," "surprising tempo shifts," "haunting, eerie trumpet," "spoken samples," edgy guitar that scrapes your brain nicely," and "just the tightest songwriting and execution around." When it all comes together, Geezer Lake are one of the most powerful bands in North Carolina, creating a sad, angry, painful, desperate mood. The production is very clean here, sacrificing that post-industrial sludginess for a sharp crispness. (Anders/Morman)