Keelhaul, a sort of death-math band from the Cleveland area, returned for
Subject to Change Without Notice, its third full-length onslaught of skronky noise, complex time signatures, and vocals buried so deep in the mix that they frequently move beyond unintelligible and flirt with being simply inaudible. The band's sound is impressively big and heavy, and while they occasionally take that virtue just a bit too far (as on the turgid and overlong "Driver's Bread"), more often they achieve a nearly perfect balance between earache-inducing noise and mentally stimulating complexity. "The Gooch" opens the proceedings with what sounds for all the world like a math rock overture in the grand operatic tradition; "Shackleton" manages simultaneously to sound frantic and tightly controlled; "Carl vs. the 10,000 Pound Shadow" is a bit more deliberate and rhythmically straightforward, but no less harsh and powerful. The album does fizzle out a bit at the end, with a completely unnecessary voicemail excerpt and a so-so quiet track. But by that point the rest comes as something of a relief, even if it doesn't offer much musical content. Recommended. ~ Rick Anderson