To be frank I like Lazer/Wulf’s previous album, There Was A Hole Here. It’s Gone Now., a bit more. Lazer/Wulf’s new album, The Beast of Left and Right is feels super raw and each song feels like more of a metal jam session. It’s kind of like a metal jazz hybrid, which is not as awesome as it sounds like it might be. It sucks, because their last album was pretty darn good and even though it also had some of that disjointed jazz-metal quality it was more like an accent than the centerpiece of each song.
When I first loaded up The Beast of Left and Right I was honestly excited because the first song, “Choose Again (Right Path),” is really good. It’s full of energy that was constantly changing direction and I felt like the Lazer/Wulf lads had done a great job of constructing a complex and intriguing aural odyssey. But then I hit the rest of the album and by the time I got to song sven “Choose Again (Left Path)” I was toast. I was completely done and didn’t want to keep listening… but I did… for you.
I braved those last two songs and I can’t exactly say I’m glad that I did. After that first song The Beast of Left and Right just devolves into a smashing mashing array of sounds and rhythms that don’t always seem to jive. I feel like this is what a Jackson Pollock painting would sound like and all too often I found myself pausing the music and enjoying the silence while trying to figure out what the hell I had just listened to.
Each song seemed to be filled with harsh right angles that were all at odds with one another and it didn’t feel like there were any smooth and tactful transitions. At some points it felt like every 10 seconds or so every member of Lazer/Wulf started playing a completely different song. I was having a devil of a time fishing out a solid sense of direction.
Maybe I’m just getting old and I no longer get the music today’s kids are into. I’m not exactly excited with Lazer/Wulf’s The Beast of Left and Right, but don’t let that stop you from giving them a listen. Who knows, they could become your next favorite band.
Rating: 2/5