OneMetal.com music REVIEW:
Rabbits – Lower Forms

Portland’s Rabbits have staked out into what is one of metal’s most defiantly belligerent genres. Most easily definable as ‘dirt-rock’, this low-fi sonic assault most famously peddled by such luminaries as Eyehategod and Arson Anthem, is possibly the only offshoot of metal in which poor sounding production is a good thing. Whilst the idea is to make a raw and stripped back record it seems as if Rabbits may have taken the message to heart a little too much, with Lower Forms ending up sounding as if it was recorded in a mates’ bedroom.

Surprisingly though, the production doesn’t manage to detract from the fact that Rabbits have managed to put together one or two really rockin’ songs. Whilst they never really step out of the shadow of their forefathers, the Oregon natives have carved themselves a nice little niche within the genre by sticking to what they do, and doing it well. The blistering, grindcore-esque frenzy of ‘No Depth’ and ‘Invisibugs’ teeter on the edge of meltdown at all times, making for an uneasy yet exhilarating experience – and when Rabbits sit on the edge of insanity they produce their best music.

Sadly, when the pace drops, so does the standard of the songs. Strangely, both opener ‘Burn, Sun, Burn’ and closing track ‘Rot’ opt for dirgelike down-tempo grooves that end up losing their way in a sea of screams and feedback, with both feeling as if they have overstayed their welcome. Rabbits evidently know how to produce a belting tune or two, which makes it even more of a shame that most of Lower Forms seems to be bereft of them, bar one or two prime cuts.

Rabbits on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/rabbitusmaximus/
Relpase Records: www.relapse.com

Bottom Line

Take the best tracks off this and you would have had a killer EP. As it is, Lower Forms relies on a little too much filler, dragging the quality down with it.