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Metal
Hammer UK Dec 2004
More quality ear fodder
from IATDE
In a world where Rebecca Loos (a woman famous for having sex with
a footballer once) laughing as she wanks of a pig for 10 minutes
passes for prime tiem television enertainment, it is not surprising
that you feel more and more like screaming. Bait must be feeling
the pressure and the banality of modern society more than most
given the throat haemorrhaging savagery og 'Anatomy Of Disaster'.
They (on ace indie label In At The Deep End, home of Send More
Paramedics) have cooked up a diabolically good stew. And where
Bait don't have the genre molesting refreshment of our favourite
proponents of zombie core, they make up for it in uncomprising
grind. '364 And Counting (The Locust Tide)' and 'Forked Tongue
Evolution' give Modern Life Is War a run for their money in the
fingers worn down to bloody stumps, shouting yourself into an
early grave stakes. Check them out before they implode under the
weight of their own hatred. 7/10
Zero
Tolerence
Back in the Heyday of modern Hardcore ("82-84") the
idea of having a metallic sound present in your music was sneered
upon. Today, however, with the advent of such bands as Dillinger
Escape Plan and Converge pushing punk and hardcore to new levels
in terms of musicianship and style, you are hard pressed to find
a band without hints of Slayer-style shredding in their riffs.
I for one am thankful that punk has progressed like this and nowadays
incorporates a variety of styles. There may be people out there
who would not agree that this is a punk record but music alone
does not categorise punk. The work ethic of the band and label,
as well as the message in the music, promotes punk ideals to a
T. The level of musicianship shown on Anatomy Of Disaster is outstanding
and leaves you floored by the wall of noise that does not let
up for a second throughout the album. From the moshy opener 'Automated
Bullshit Generator' through to the doom-laden march of 'Cathode'
you find yourself nodding along with gritted teeth and clenched
fists. A powerful, venom-filled release indeed. 4/5
Profane
Existence #46 (USA)
I can’t rave enough about this band! They fuckin rock me
like a hurricane!! They hail from Norwich UK, and feature 2/3
of the great Deviated Instinct. But if you’re expecting
something in the same vein as DI you’ll be very disappointed.
Instead they’ve taken their music in a whole new direction.
They defy all boundaries, and cannot be compared to anyone. This
is more straightforward punk rock, yet really complex, with a
very metal feel to it, and a serious rock vibe going on. You might
even be able to say a near stoner-rock vibe. But that’s
not an entirely accurate description. You can’t pigeonhole
this band into any specific genre. The guitar work is intricate,
with some wicked riffage going on, the vocals are harshly screamed,
and the drummer has an awesome style, which fits perfectly. The
music is very dark, and heavy. And Mid’s artwork for this
album is amazing. It’s beautifully dark, haunting and scary
enough to give you nightmares. Bait have been playing together
for quite a while now, but have gone seemingly unnoticed here
in the states. With a CD-EP, a demo tape, and a few comp tracks
under their belt, this is by far their best release yet! Do yourself
a favor and get a hold of this! (Righteous)
Flex
Your Head (Canada)
Sometimes it's overwhelming to hear bands that need to throw a
thousand different time changes, influences, and harmonies into
their sound. There are times when some straightforward noisy hardcore
is all you need. Bait delivers the unpretentious rawk on Anatomy
Of Disaster. There is a nice metallic sound to this; it's almost
got a crusty punk edge, especially in the screamed/screeched vocals
and feedback-loving guitar player. The band has a great groove,
and I bet you will catch yourself punching the air a few times
during the duration of the release. Anatomy Of Disaster is noisy,
but totally accessible.
Rocksound
Magazine Oct 2004
They've only gone and
done it - and about time too! norwich's Bait, whose ranks were
once swelled by Extreme Noise Terror / Napalm Death growler Phil
Vane, have released their first "proper" album! That
'Anatomy Of Disaster' nods towards masters of all things acrid,
cyber-metal crossover Optimum Wound Profile, is perhaps down to
Steve (Snapa) Harvey who once handled bass-duties for that mob,
and powered ex Subvert man Nick Barker's jack hammer drumming.
This debut powers along with the force of a Panzer Tank Division.
With a chainsaw-like axe and caustic vocals that tear your face
off, opener 'Automated Bullshit Generator' is a jagged, full fronted
attack on the senses, full of riffery dirtier than a politician's
conscience, while 'Cathode' detonates with old-school punked-up
attitude - a dead cert to get the claret flowing. Anatomically
correct in every way! - Ronnie Kerswell 7/10
Skratch
Magazine (USA)
English metal troupe
Bait's hybrid extreme metal assault covers a lot of ground over
nine tracks, shifting from industrial strength metal like Prong
to barking style hardcore a la Converge to the jaded attack wielded
by bands like Jesus Lizard to the groundbreaking metal performed
by Carcass. Assaulting and relentless, tracks like "Hangman"
take the grooves of Entombed and give it a New England hardcore
spin, while the sonic crush of "364 and Counting" has
a Deftones vibe joining forces with old school hardcore. Varied
and versatile without sacrificing brutality, ANATOMY OF DISASTER
is a virtual joyride through metal's extreme genres. - Mike SOSc
The
Gauntlet (USA)
4/5
Bait
straddles the line between The Refused and High On Fire brilliantly.
The band has a dirty, disturbed edge about them that lends a feeling
of impending disaster to their creative sounding music. Bassy
rumblings permeate these nine tracks as Rob Middleton wails vocally
while delivering crushing guitar rhythms. He sounds uncontrollable
on “Descender”, a low-fi affair meant to bludgeon.
Steve Harvey and Nick Barker pair up to form a tough, hard hitting
rhythm section that focuses on power grooves and closed fist accents
to the discordant progressions of Middleton. Thick sludge metal
follows on “…And I’ll Be It’s Dog”
as the trio hammers away in search of blunt force trauma. The
surrealistic lyrics focus on life’s imperfections and dark
corners. “Monochromatic” is successful in portraying
an utter bleak outlook that moves in a downward spiral of destruction.
Bait tempt the hand of doom on “Forked Tongue Evolution”,
pounding through buzzing riffs and high pitched bends with a notion
of cryptic sonic hammering. The group injects some disjointed
punk vibes into the fray with “Hangman”, where they
sound like Helmet’s evil twin during the verse parts, while
bashing away at a massive, destructive chorus that is like a wall
of fog. No specific genre is best suited to describe this trio,
but the music is undoubtedly heavy and the mood is brazenly dark.
Sludge seems to be the closest description of this music, but
the group throws in some punk, grunge and straight up metal for
good measure. ‘Anatomy Of Disaster’ is a bleak, chilling
indictment of a world gone mad. And that’s a good thing.
You're
Not Alone Zine #9 (Holland)
I always like labels
with an unique taste for bands. IATDE Records is one of those
labels. All the music they release is special, not standard and
definitely high quality. This album contains 9 songs based on
a grinding metallic sound but still hardcore orientated. I guess
people who are into Prong, Modern Life Is War and Converge will
dig this definitely. The artwork is quite remarkable and pretty
unusual, but it fits the dark and uncommon sound of Bait. The
music is very energetic and sometimes has this crusty touch to
it. This is a very unusual album but therefore very interesting
and highly recommended for the kids who want to experience something
else than standard hardcore/metal. - Jeroen
OX
Fanzine (Germany)
DEVIATED INSTINCT sind
tot, es leben BAIT. Gitarrist/Sanger und Bassist von DEVIATED
INSTINCT vereint mit dem Schlagwerker von SUBVERT, ergo alles
keine Unbekannten in der britischen Crust- und Metalcoreszene.
Ich erinnere nur an die mittlerweile steinalte "Guttural
Breathe" -LP von DEVIATED INSTINCT, die damals noch auf Peaceville
erschien und durch ihren derden. SUBVERT veroffenlichten auch
schon vor ewigen Zeiten bei Loony Tunes, die ja selbst nebenbei
noch als ACTIVE MINDS selbst unterwegs waren. Soviel zum Geschichtsunterricht,
aber BAIT gibt es nun auch schon etwas mehr als 10 Jahre, als
Seitenprojekt mit Drumcomputer begonnen und erst seit kurzem mit
echtem Drummer ausgestatet. "A beast tha really isn't in
any hurry",wie der Promoflyer in typisch britischem Understatement
feststellt. Musikalisch durchaus vergleichbar mit eben jenen vorgenannten
Bands, wobei es im Laufe der Jahre nicht ausbleibt, dass man doch
die Instrumente besser beherrscht, so das ein durchaus groovendes
Monster mit metallischem Hardcore und agrepisstem Schreigesang
die Welt erblickt hat. Wie immer bei In At The Deep End in hubscher
Verpackung. File under: Kleines Juwel. - 8/10
Slaughter
Zine
Bait
CD's only been on me CD player 2.45 minutes and I already achieved
a one man pit in me room, what u think about that eh? I think
pretty fookin good! This racket could be described as Converge-esque
or even a little like the almighty Thirty Seconds until Armageddon
(RIP). But who cares, what you need to know is that it is certainly
Slaughterzine approved. I am going to go make a bigger mess of
me room now you loser's, Bait= Class.
Big
Cheese Magazine Oct 2004
Despite being around
for over a decade, 'Anatomy Of Disaster' is Bait's first album.
Bait was started by former Deviated Instinct members Mid and Snapa
and their aim was to make abrasive music. Pickign up drummer Nick
from recently deceased metalcore band Subvert, Bait decided to
become more of a punk metalcore band and ignore their previous
industrial elements. The Norwich based crew have made a decent
enough debut album that's seething with righteous anger. Bait
are like a less technical but equally ugly sounding version of
Converge. The vocals are harsh but surprisingly, decipherable
and the music definitely veers towards the punkier end of metal,
it's a solid debut. Paul Hagen
Slug
& Lettuce (USA)
Discordant angsty hardcore
with a punchy style and incredible raw and raspy screamy vocal
style. Take note old crust punks, this is the latest band featuring
members of Deviated Instinct (Mid & Snapa). Though this has
more of a leaning toward the new style of discordant hardcore
(ala Converge or the like) than their old roots. I always find
it interesting what people are up to so many years later, and
while this isn't going to be on my stoked every day play list,
it's still good (in spite of my comparison) better than most of
the modern styled discordant hardcore bands these days that have
gotten to a copy-cat formula. These old-school masters put their
own history into what they do, and mix in some stoner sludge from
the days gone by with some of the feeling behind the heavy industrial
offshoots in the mid '90 some of these folks were into, but fast
forward 10 years and interpret the times.
(chris - slug&lettuce #81)
Direct
Hit Zine
Even
more than I expected of this trio, having heard their demo tape
and self released MCD (which was probably a demo too). BAIT create
an atmosphere that dark, sombre, atmospheric and brooding. But
hey, would you make nice sugar coated music to go with the title
“Anatomy Of Disaster” which is pretty much a purging
of all that is wrong with society today. You don’t like
yourself, well a scalpel blade will soon sort that out, for fucks
sake there’s even tv programmes about it. So no, BAIT don’t
paint a pretty picture. Incredible heavy vibes throughout, awesome
song structure waiting to bite those in line. Just think of the
very best of PRONG, RORSCHACH, current darlings of the music press
CONVERGE, along with the heavenly assault of TRAGEDY, FROM ASHES
RISE, THE DAGDA and a slew of underground crust, grind, industrial
bands that have shaped the BAIT sound that has been decomposing
all these years. Features Mid and Snappa from the infamous DEVIATED
INSTINCT and SPINEWENCH. The winters here and BAIT will keep you
company.
Playdead
Norwich. Not exactly
the kind of place you'd expect this kind of crushing metal-hardcore
to come from. Well, actually scrap that, it's a well-known fact
that all the best music comes from small places right? Bait were
originally formed as a side project from the now long gone band
Deviated Instincts in the early 90's, it's only now (that's about
ten years on for those who can't add up) though that they've managed
to get their shit together and put out this long overdue album
on In At The Deep End. So was it worth the wait? Well that kinda
depends if you think your ears are ready for the onslaught. Bait
deal mainly, well no, actually Bait always deal with killer riffs,
screeched vocals all brought together with mid paced beats. It's
a pretty vicious combination of hardcore punk and metal all wrapped
in to one tight killer package. Although it is undeniably heavy
and angry, it's also to their credit that they always managed
to keep track of the tune, be it through a dirty riff or a well
timed change in pace. There's not actually to much more to say
about it really, I'm sure every other review under the sun will
compare it to a number of seminal metal and hardcore bands that
fit the bill, but really all you need to know is it rocks like
a fucker. (MB)
Mass
Movement
So this is what happened
to Deviated Instincts huh? Ex-members of the legendary 80's crust
band (well, Mid and Snapa anyways) getting it on with a metal
onslaught meets grinding mid pace stoner rock. This is kinda cool,
almost like Deviated Instincts matured slowly in a vat of rot
gut cider while being force fed metal. Crust metal anyone? I'm
telling you it's the coolest, all the kids will be digging it
by xmas. (Tim)
Punktastic
Bait have
been a long time getting here. Originally formed in the early
90’s from the ruins of Deviated Instinct, the band have
been gestating for over a decade now. At the dawning of the 21st
Century Bait finally began to change into the entity we see today.
After self-releasing an acclaimed four track EP, the band were
picked up by highly rated UK label, In At The Deep End Records.
‘Anatomy of Disaster’ is Bait’s debut release
for the label and features nine tracks of blistering hardcore,
with a strong metal influence. ‘Anatomy
of Disaster’ isn’t the most technical of hardcore
releases, and is all the better for it. What we have here is a
collection of nine songs that are well crafted and intense, without
ever being over the top. The album grabs your attention from the
start with the energetic opener that is ‘Automated Bullshit
Generator. The song opens with an electronic intro and mixes some
fast-paced, yet infectious guitar riffs with a constant intensity.
The lead vocals with this band are another plus as well. They
are shouted rather than shrieked, as is too often the case, and
really enhance the musical vision of the band. This
release is packed full of great lyrics that further serve the
metallic hardcore sound of the band. Take for example some of
the lines that accompany the driving ‘Monochromatic’:
“Falling through a tear in the world. All colours grey.
Tunnel vision – set on pitch. Out of sync. All is tainted.
It crawls corrupt. Like a lead weight on my ribs.” It is
intelligent imagery like this that adds to the overall feel of
this release. ‘Anatomy of Disaster’ is probably best
described as measured chaos – the album rolls along at a
crazy pace but never loses the plot. From the wall of noise and
sheer speed of ‘Descender’ to the brooding malice
of ‘To Skin a Chameleon’, Bait are always in control
of what they are trying to achieve. Throw in some stunning artwork
and you have a very accomplished little package. With
‘Anatomy of Disaster’ Bait have produced a release
that should appeal to a broad spectrum of hardcore fans, and hopefully
to many outside the genre as well. The scope of Bait’s vision
here is very hard to pin-down and the songs are consistently good
throughout. This is certainly inspiring stuff. Give this a listen
and you won’t be disappointed.
Vendetta
Zine
Their
debut album as Bait, the current incarnation of savage sewer-punks
Deviated Instinct who crawled like a chest-burster from the rotting
carcass of UK punk in 1984, they nonetheless have already gained
an impressive range of critical acclaim for their 2003 four-track
EP 'Every Lie I've Ever Lived' from sources ranging from gutter-press-hardcore
'zine Reason To Believe all the way up to recondite metal magazine
Terrorizer.. 'The
Anatomy Of Disaster' is a avatar of biomechanical death, skulking
and thrashing through a bleak industrial landscape of distorted,
plunging guitar chords and brutal feedback. 'Automated Bullshit
Generator' sets the pace with it's moody electronic intro descending
like the Nostromo through a thick blanket of aural fog "To
late to take it back...to late to take it back..." rendered
in the screams of the desperate. Bait are neither easy on the
ear nor easy on your brain, laden with grotesque and sickening
imagery"The feeding frenzy begins. While you're still bloated
from the feast..." they force your face deep inside the putrid,
diseased centre of their collective being. This shouldn't be easy,
this a baptism of blood as every bit as harrowing as Ripley's
escape from her doomed ship, you don't listen, you survive. Bait
are what you get when you spill Himsa's pint, a whirling, grating,
snarling monster of sound, a cold distant slab of fearsome unrelenting
noisecore. - James
Static
Domain
According
to the press release, Bait have been together since the early
90’s when they formed from the ashes of UK metallers Deviated
Instinct but have spent a decade being held back by other commitments,
problems with technology and not having enough band members. Now
they have finally got round to making an album, and whilst it’s
not as great as an album with ten years work behind it should
be, it’s pretty goddamn ass kicking all the same. The poetically
titled “Automated Bullshit Generator” opens proceedings
and sets the tone nicely for what’s to follow. It feels
like being slapped round the face by a fat man with a hand made
of lead while he screams at you and dribbles a lot. The vocals
of Rob Middleton are similar to the kind of hardcore howling employed
by label mates Send More Paramedics except ten times more manic
and unhinged. On the musical front, Bait deliver some gut churning
riffage alongside some breakneck metallic hardcore action. They
share the same harsh sound as bands like Converge but don’t
deliver the same kind of journey into jazzy time signatures instead
opting for a more straight ahead, balls-out approach which sets
them apart from their peers. A lot of songs have a nice old school
metal flavour too, like Slayer played at the wrong speed. It’s
also good to see that Bait are not afraid to throw in gratuitous
artificial harmonics all over the place, as everyone knows that
artificial harmonics are very big and very clever. Errol
Watson and Lawrence Eaves have done a top job of making a speaker-shakingly
heavy sounding record and the album features some very striking,
very metal artwork, which is very nice. This is a big, juicy slab
of metal action and another cool release from In At The Deep End
records.
Raw
Nerve
I
had been looking forward to this album after a very impressive
EP last year, and as "Automated Bullsh*t Generator"
combines a harsh, mid to high rasping vocal, scuzzy, edgy guitars
akin to Coalesce rocking out with The Refused and Burn It Down,
I see things have continued on a nice bloody vein for Bait. "364
and counting (The locust tide)" shows this isn't going to
be overly complex, or particularly head-mashingly technical, but
there certainly are some damn intense noises in this, not too
far removed from John Holmes in places, with a mix of rocking
sections, darker hardcore punk with a devilish sound and hypnotic
bass, almost funky, almost droney, working very well. With
a recent Voivod sound influence mixed with a more old school hardcore
delivery, this really is quite sinister. "Forked Tongue Evolution"
turns things even nastier, dropping in the Deadguy, Rorschach,
Kiss it Goodbye and Botch-isms, to make for a sweetly disturbing
slow paced piece. I think production lacks a little on this recording,
in comparison to the EP as well, missing out a real energetic,
sickening and psychotic punch that would really suit their sound
and style. I am liking a lot of the 7 minute ambient noise before
the sullen, moody 3 minute closer that reminds of Isis a touch.
A solid, tense album with some absolutely stunning artwork completing
the package rather nicely. - Paul Raw Nerve
Hardcore
Music (Belgium)
A trio
with quite a long bandhistory… This band was originaly founded
as a side project by ex Deviated Instinct UK crustpunks but finaly
resulted in a masterpiece, you could say these guys had taken
the time to give light to their birth. 'Finally' is a hard word
cus this trio from the UK managed to release a lot of albums yet,
but its true these guys were frustrated in the past (anno 2000),
cus they couldn't find a new drummer and they were hungry to appear
on stage and do some 'letting your brains bleed'-live acts! Anyhow
the Bait of nowedays is totally different then the former Bait.
Music-wise its hard to describe these guys, maybe this disc would
probably appeal to people who like Converge. There are some very
noisy, screamy and rocking parts, so a good mix of everything
haha, everything to make your brains bleed! Definatly! In At The
Deep End Records from UK spotted an EP of this trio and was so
impressed they gave these guys the opportunity to release their
new album on IATDE early fall - August 2004. Their new album 'Anatomy
of Disaster' is a masterpiece, to be honnest I was not immediately
into this band, I heard the album thrice but it slowly became
a hit in my discography. To end with some cd-credits: 'Anatomy
of Disaster' is a nine tracked album, containing 40 minutes of
skindigging music that will enter your body as silent as they
can and will mark every part if they can! Watch these guys, they
are evil!
Rock
Hard (Italy)
Peccato che i suoni
di "Anatomy Of Disaster" (In At The Deep End) non siano
ottimali e facciano perdere un poco consistenza al particolarissimo
sound dei BAIT formazione inglese di belle speranze. Il trio mostra
una notevole capacità nel songwriting e - cosa ancor più
importante - ha personalità da vendere. Assunti come numi
tutelari Refused, Botch, ultimi Voivod e Coalesce, i Nostri rivisitano
queste sonorità “estreme” con un approccio
punk-hardcore. Sanno essere tecnici ove necessario e grezzi quando
il momento lo richiede. La voce raspante e il basso sludgy rendono
canzoni come “Descender” o “Cathode” assolutamente
malate e schizofreniche. Semplicemente bravi, a tal punto da meritare
un futuro su Relapse!
Inside
Knowledge (Holland)
Excellent
Prong like guitars show their heads in a mass of Converge chaos
when “Automated Bullshit Generator” bites off the
head of this cd. From there on the chaos stays, especially with
the noisy vocals, but musically it’s getting more of an
old school metal band going at mid pace through Obliveon’s
or Voivod’s back catalogue. I only wished the sound of the
hole album was clearer as it gets a bit to crust-like at time.
Might have been planned as these guys have their roots in the
UK crust scene of the early 90’s. Might also explain their
connection to the 80’s metal side. Another great release
from IATDE records that will give you multiple personalities.
Who said that? - Martijn Welzen
With
Love, The Underground
(Germany)
Einmal
mehr zeigt In At The Deep End, dass bei ihnen Meterware nicht
erwünscht ist und legt nach den super Alben von SEND MORE
PARAMEDICS und THE ONCE OVER TWICE erneut eine ganz eigenständige
Band nach. BAIT kommen aus Norwich, UK und waren bereits in den
frühen Neunzigern unter dem Namen DEVIATED INSTINCT aktiv,
zumindest teilweise. "Anatomy Of Disaster" entlohnt
nun für die lange Wartezeit und zeigt, dass die Band sich
während der Jahre seit ihrem Demo als BAIT, 1998, unglaubliches
angeeignet hat. Straighte Hardcore Passagen treffen auf eine unbändige
Wut, PRONG - ähnliche Stakkatoattacken auf geniale schleppende
Riffs. Des Weiteren wurde die Band mit CONVERGE, RORSCHACH, KILLING
JOKE u.a. verglichen und vor allem die Gitarren sind unheimlich
innovativ. Das Album weiß immer wieder durch technische
Finessen wie versetze Rhythmik unter den Instrumenten zu überzeugen
und man glaubt kaum, dass hier nur ein Gitarrist am Werk ist.
Unbedingt anhören. Thomas Eberhardt (8)
Punkrockthoery
(Belgium)
Risen from the ashes of crustpunk-outfit Deviated Instinct,
this Bait brings some progressive hardcore, mid-speed, metallic
influenced. I pick up hunches of Converge, Killing Joke and Doom.
It all sounds terribly alternative, and something I would watch
at a local show in a squat. Bait breaths the underground, the
noisy and angry hardcore like it should sound in the real punkworld.
If that’s a good thing or a bad thing, I don’t know,
but after a song or two, it gets either irritating or interesting.
A very strange record, that leaves me with mixed up feelings.
For hardcore fans with weird taste.
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£5
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$11
£7