Search - Superjoint Ritual :: Use Once & Destroy

Serious metalhead ear candy

A. Stutheit | Denver, CO USA | 04/22/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In 2001, after Pantera released "Reinventing The Steel" a year earlier, Phil continued work on two of his other bands, Necrophagia and Viking Crown, as well as starting a new group, Southern Isolation. Then Phil returned in 2002 with Down and Superjoint Ritual. Superjoint actually released their first demo in 1997, but they officially debuted in 2002. "Down II" proved to be quite a disappointment, but, fortunately, SJR's "Use Once And Destroy" is very cool. This album is much more hardcore-influenced and underground-sounding than anything released by Pantera or Down. The downtuned guitars, fast drumming, and Phil's constant, throat-straining, lung-stretching yells make this record a very raw, seething, dissonant, relentless, and sonically crushing assault. There are a few moments when a song will sound somewhat traditional or catchy, but then Phil's roaring voice will explode through your speakers and shatter that song's opportunity. Phil hinted at this type of extreme vocal style on Pantera's 1996 disc, "The Great Southern Trendkill," as well as "Reinventing The Steel," but he only fully lets loose on this album. Phil's performance isn't as great or expansive as it was on past releases with his name on it, but it is every bit as expressive and it helps to make these songs as intense as they are.



Most of "Use Once And Destroy" is very fast, but it does sound somewhat like Phil's other band when the tempos slow down. Two examples of this are "The Introvert," which sounds like a "Far Beyond Driven"-era tune, and "Superjoint Ritual," a slower, mostly instrumental track which sports a fairly big groove and blowtorch, jackhammer guitars, could be a b-side from "The Great Southern Trendkill."



"Oblivious Maximus," opens this album, and might be the best song on here. It's completely instrumental and boasts blistering, pounding guitars and drums, as well as a fast tempo change. In addition to the usual high pitched screams, "It Takes No Guts" puts low, constipated bellows on top of more scorching riffs. The walloping "4 Songs" is backed by machine gun drum patterns, and a few of Phil's patented, long shrieks. (It sounds like he just had his wisdom teeth pulled without any Novocaine.) Elsewhere, when "All Of Our Lives Will Get Tired" hits its peak, it's almost deafening, with squealing guitars and vocals, and "Drug Your Love" and "Haunted/Hated" are explosive, pounding squalls of prominent double bass work and fiery, careening guitars.



"Use Once And Destroy" surely won't cater to everyone's tastes. If you don't like melody and harmony deficient music with turbo charged riffs and vocals which could peel paint off of walls, you should not even consider this disc. And if you're a casual metal fan, you might enjoy this album only in small doses. But serious metalheads (like me) and hardcore fans (also like me) will think this stuff is pretty bad ass."