Wreck and Reference - Alien Pains

One of my favorite bands expanding the sound of industrial black metal, Wreck and Reference (who are a unique live experience as well), came through with a pleasant surprise in the form of this EP. The four tracks on Alien Pains run for just 13 minutes and provide a brief departure from the duo’s usual harrowing shouts of anguish and off-the-wall industrial instrumentation paired with acoustic drumming, taking them this time into more ambient industrial soundscapes reminiscent of Nine Inch Nails’ more ambient output.
The quick, glitchy opener, “Always Crush Me” brings probably the most energy on the EP, featuring bass-y electronics and a few segments of familiar tormented black metal shouting that spiral out of control by the song’s early finish. “Closer You Are” follows it with a cold-stared, yet catchy, spoken word refrain (similar to those of Marilyn Manson) over more minimal, ominous, slow-paced industrial backing the brooding refrain.
“Game of Pricks” continues the dark ambiance of the album with a more sporadically applied industrial percussive underlay beneath more overtly aggressive lyrics delivered again in a menacingly spoken fashion. “Striped White Jets” finishes on a more fearful note with the spoken lyrics performed in a slightly more painful fashion, and the reintegration of the shouted vocals expanding on them. It’s a track that moves through a few soft and eerie passages as well as more dense metallic passages to ultimately make for a well-rounded and concise finish to a well-rounded album.
Alien Pains is both Wreck and Reference as we know them, and a more subtle side of them that often gets overshadowed that, this time, gets a bit more limelight. Whether this is where they’re choosing to carry their sound or just a non-transitional, one-off release, it’s a good side of Wreck and Reference to sit down and appreciate.

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