Hot on the heels of the compilation of most of Apartment 213’s non-album material, Magic Bullet Records have also reissued the band’s only album, originally released in 2006. Here we have 16 songs, 31 minutes in total length, which in many ways is far more controlled and interesting that the much larger compilation. Some of that has to be down to the recording itself, as there is far more bottom end throughout this, and the riffs are strong and heavy, with a great distorted bass. Thematically, the band keeps entirely within their ultra-violent, serial-killer inspired focus, this time ramping up the intensity via contributions from Eric Wood (Man Is The Bastard) and summoning singer Steven Maketa’s alter-ego Lockweld (a noise/power electronics outfit rounded out by Karen Thomas).
They move between crunching slow riffs, although never approaching doom, and high-speed grind, with a palpable feeling of hate, anger and aggression throughout. This isn’t something that should be played when someone wants to calm down, as it is channelling adrenaline. The electronic “songs” continue the weirdness and unsettle the listener, so that the album becomes something that is intriguing and interesting. Of the two releases, this is the one to investigate if Apartment 213 are something you feel you should suffer.
