Four years after their conception, Swedish-Russian alternative duo
Ghlow released their official debut full-length,
Slash and Burn. A potent blend of their varied influences -- post-punk, electronica, industrial, and doom metal, to name a few -- the set makes up for brevity by offering a tight, corrosive assault that recalls acts like
the Raveonettes,
the Jesus and Mary Chain, and
Curve. Vocalist Emille de Blanche is a force, holding her own atop the noisy release crafted by Nikolay Evdokimov as expertly as
Toni Halliday,
Shirley Manson, and
Jehnny Beth in their own respective groups. The eight tracks maintain the same general mood: intense assaults where jagged riffs and dark synths collide as de Blanche howls and rages, commanding the mic like a seasoned veteran. Whether lurching through the mechanic beat of the sludgy "Sleep" or pogoing off the rails on the jagged "Hollow,"
Slash and Burn is a blast to experience, especially for listeners pining for the unpolished edge of the '90s. ~ Neil Z. Yeung