Unpersons – A Grey Sigh In A Flower Husk

For the uninitiated the split with Baroness is the best starting point for Unpersons. Like most bands on At A Loss Recordings or Life Is Abuse Records Unpersons don't really fit too well into a traditional understanding of "metal", though I do suppose they are just heavy-metal enough that they (barely) scrape by. Which is why I was surprised, to say the least, that they have been included on the Encyclopedia Metallum website but all for the better because Unpersons are a rare breed who will offer many rewards to those with patience and endurance.

The first track on the split, Black Finnegan, is an all too typical Unpersons track. In fact, it sounds about the same as every Unpersons song I have ever heard. Still, it's inclusion as the first track on this split is a fitting introduction since this is likely the largest audience Unpersons has been exposed to - I.E. the majority that are here for Side A and Baroness. Still, Black Finnegan is an adequate introduction wherein fans can hear, what I call, the classic Unpersons sound: Spastic Psychedelic Indie Metal.

The music and vox are no doubt Spastic. It's rare if we ever hear the same riff twice. The lyrics follow suit - Sanders is always on some wild but solemn rant of mental inadequacy. Because of the high-speed nature, Unpersons are to me, ambitious and exciting but to some their high-speed and unpredictable method is unfocused and unsettling to the point where you feel like you never know what's going on. It can be easy to forget what song you are listening to or where you are in the album when you have 6 new riffs every 3 minutes.

The 3 songs that follow Black Finnegan are more convincing numbers that showcase Sanders mentally ill screams of despair and his equally spastic guitar. Sanders vocal style is particularly unnerving - he bounces between a deep growling drawl and a high-pitched squeal both of which, especially when overdubbed over eachother, emmulate perfectly the experience of being in the loony section of a prison.

Sanders is the depraved mind behind Unpersons but Judson (Guitars) and Carl (Bass) provide necessary additional strings and Matt, on drums, equals Sanders with his own spastic take on percussion. Matt's drumming is integral to Unpersons sound with his unpredictable and free-form style, jumping between Bill Ward-esque stop and start fills and solid grinding action.

Though it's not their best release (the single song epic IV: Self-Portait is their masterpiece), the 4 songs on A Grey Sigh in a Flower Husk are some of their most accessible, are a little better produced and make up a good starting point... and if it turns out the spastic nature of Unpersons is too unfocused for you, Side A from Baroness may be a pleasing relinquishment.

Even though I wouldn't really consider Unpersons "Metal", they are heavy and I think they are a worthy addition to the Encyclopedia Metallum. I had the fortune of seeing them open for Iron Lung (in 2006-7?), which gives you an idea of who they are similar to musically, and it will always be one of my favorite memories head-banging to the spastic noise of Sanders screams and Matt's heavy drumming.

The Baroness tunes are classic heavyweight pieces that are worth the price of ission alone and are of the quality which you would expect from pre-Red Album Baroness. The Baroness tunes found herein are what helped me to fall in love with Baroness' early sound and showcase their classic 70's rock dueling guitars and Allen Blickle's intoxicating drums. I am all about percussion and bands that pull of intricate and heavy drums in the vein that Baroness does always come at the top of my list as Cock Rock influenced metal goes.

It does seem a little weird that a band like Baroness, who prefers long songs and who are made up of such skilled musicians would share an album with the spastic Unpersons but below that heavy underbelly of Baroness is one who shares the spastic nature that is Unpersons. Checkout "Teiresias" where Baroness did their best to put about as many riffs into one song as Unpersons do on the regular.

As the vinyl versions are all described as "compilations", my question is: compilation of what?
Please enlight us!...