Tooth/The Claw – Split 12” (Church Key Records) 
By Jay Snyder 
September 1, 2009

This split EP is sort of a double-edged sword for me. There’s a bit of good news and bad news behind it. The good news is that Durham, NC’s crust/metal/doom crew Tooth is back on the scene with three brand spankin’ new tunes that are way overdue as the band’s debut EP Animality came out well over a year ago. 

I’ve been hungering for more music from this band ever since I was first introduced to their chaotic aural bludgeon and finally my ravenous taste buds have been satiated. Secondly, on the good news front, is my introduction to Philadelphia’s The Claw and their merciless take on blackened thrash metal, with a pinch of grind and crust added for good measure. 

So, what’s the bad news you ask? Well, this is the last time we’ll be hearing from Tooth, for at least awhile or perhaps forever. After wrapping up the recording of these new tunes, the band has unfortunately decided to call it quits. Definitely a big time bummer, because these dudes were the real deal and were sitting comfortably upon a tight sound that would have surely built some steam if they continued the cycle of recording, playing out and generally getting the name out there. Nothing short of a damn shame, but at least they went out with a bang. 

I’m not sure if I can say that I like their tunes on this split more than the ones on the Animality EP, but they are on equal footing if nothing else. They’ve dropped the majority of the southern groovin’ (which wasn’t omnipotent by any means on “Animality”) to focus on thrashier riffs, galloping twin guitar runs and rigid death n’ roll scathe ala Entombed. The first of three new tunes, “Suicide Myth” showcases a unit dead set on glorifying the classy tunefulness of vintage metal whilst giving it a kick in the ass with down tuned, dirge-y riff interjections, throaty screams courtesy of mouthpiece JME Guptill and an all around bad attitude. Dueling harmonies, deftly executed by the deadly duo of Richard James and Ben Wilson set the energy at an impossibly high level right out of the starting gate. There’s a bit of Mastodon in the overall feel and tonality of the dual licks, but the capable twosome keep their shred more in line with Maiden as opposed to anything too modern. A fervent crossover aesthetic is created by the crusty beats and forceful pacing, but the guitars constantly soar over the proceedings, and proudly display the cadence of classic metal. Shifting things up boldly, the band utilize all of the tools at their disposal in this track; pulling in the reigns and concentrating on doom smoked heft for added effect after the initial ass beating and later exploding into full on metal fury with dizzying solos and hesher, fist-pumping, rhythmic bravado during the climax. Easily, this song is as gripping as anything on the EP…no fucking around! It’ll lay you out flat with its uncompromising heaviness, but dazzle you with tricky guitar work and subtly, complex interplay between bassist Ryland Fishel and drummer Noah Kessler…it’s the whole nine yards and then some! 

Kicking off with a rousing beat, squealing guitar noise and festering punk meets death n’ roll riffing the bash n’ bruise whiplash created by “Middle West” has metal in its blood and punk on the brain. Hell, I’m even sensing a bit of Motorhead in this motherfucker as the rocked-out solo directly after the 1:50 mark should please even the most jaded of metal maniacs, who aren’t too likely to bite onto anything with overly aggressive vocals or supersonic volume levels. This track is short and to the point and just flat out fucking rocks. There’s a lot of finesse on display here, but the band settles into a road burning groove that sees Discharge buying shots for Lemmy, while Mike D. Williams and crew comb the back of the venue for patrons who might have a little extra nose candy on hand. 

Tooth’s side of the split and unfortunately their career come to a close with “Better Living (Through Arson)”. Again this track reeks of an unholy criss-cross of Entombed, Maiden, Motorhead, Discharge, Eyehategod and Mastodon. Lots of tight instrumental changes rage over discordant riffs, bitter screams and street level punk ethics and just when things reach a climactic point of heaviness (perfectly showcased by the trudging stomp and slowed down thrash at the 1:20 milestone) so pummeling you don’t think you can take anymore punishment…you get a regal Lizzy harmony that steamrolls into a whopper ending of noise-rock amp scorch and diabolical, metallic butchery. Fuck, I’m going to miss these guys. At least the band went out with a roar and not a whimper, as the three tunes here coupled with the four on Animality displayed a voracious unit unafraid to gamble with the rules and blur the lines between brutality and melody…and who knows? Since we are living in the age of reunions, I wouldn’t doubt you’ll see these dudes back on the scene, in some form or another down the line. Until then…RIP Tooth, you certainly rocked my world twice in the recorded medium. 

Now onto The Claw. These Philly natives weren’t just born yesterday, as they have an EP under their belt up to this point. Somebody from this band was in the highly experimental noise/metal outfit Myles of Destruction, who were damn good might I add…although that has little to do with the music played by The Claw. Not much experimentation here, just pure fucking hatred cut to tape with gritty production, a feral tonality rooted in the harshness of grind and crust, blackened thrash guitar runs and seething vocal rasps that defy comprehension or deciphering. They remind me a little bit of Landmine Marathon, but they forgo that band’s thickness for ill-tempered speed thrills. 

Lead in cut “Grief is for the Living” straps you in for a one way rocket ride, straight into an obliterating supernova. Occasional, mid-paced churns bring flavor to a blazing Molotov cocktail of white-knuckle solos, thrash-y guitar runs that possess the frost-bitten winter cold of good black metal and an overall emphasis on trident wielding speed implosions. It sure as hell ain’t pretty, but it is guaranteed to create a similar carnage to a boulder wrecking a foot o’ the mountain hamlet. No hope, no escape and no survivors…a similar viewpoint shared by the equally unfriendly “Tight to Fall”; another anti-social outburst of wrecking ball metal that lurks exclusively in the dank cellars where basement punks and metallers alike get their weekend thrash on. 

Only when the band dredges the depths of melodic dissonance and commands their thrash to a forceful, stuttering crawl on closer “The Big Sleep”, does the listener get the whole picture. In fact the first two tracks kind of trucked on by my usually watchful ears on the first listen, leaving me in a state where I’m like, “Yeah, this is cool, but I don’t really remember it after it’s over”. Yet, constant exposure and repeat listens of the phenomenal atmospherics of “The Big Sleep” had me thinking I needed to buckle down and actually lock into the first two tracks. Glad I did because these maniacs handle the fast stuff just as well as they do the more turgid plodding found on “The Big Sleep”…but blink and you’ll surely fucking miss it! 

Seems like there has been one killer split after another popping up in my mailbox over the last couple of months (this one actually popped up in the internet mailbox), and it has become increasingly difficult to choose a favorite. If nothing else, Tooth and The Claw have delivered another top-notch, dual band effort to sink your teeth into. Both bands bring their A game and will appeal to a wide variety of dirt merchant, extreme metalheads the world over. 

In addition to the disheartening break-up of Tooth, The Claw’s vocalist Mikey Brosnan was killed by a drunk driver after the recording of this material. He goes out with larynx bleeding and lungs bursting, in his snarling performance on The Claw’s side of the split. What a complete fucking tragedy and yet another reason why I won’t get behind the wheel in a dumbass drunken stupor ever again in this life. Basically, this is a bittersweet release all around. Anyone who thinks this shit sounds up their alley should buy one of these fuckers. It is limited to 300 copies, polished up with fantastic artwork and packing six stellar tunes, with nary a clunker to be found. A+ release…it’s got great music and real heart behind it, and there’s not much more you could ask for when it comes to audio debauchery such as this. RIP Mikey, RIP Tooth…