In Disgust We Trust

Maybe it's the city's often-mentioned dreariness of architecture, weather, and public morale, but Birmingham, England, has always been a heavy metal hotbed, and from the days of Black Sabbath (the original Birmingham metal band), there's always been a tinge of anger and nihilism to these bands' music that feels considerably more "real" than the staged dyspepsia of the average black metal poseurs. Mistress are a perfect example: although their music is basic, completely straightforward modern metal, complete with the Cookie Monster vocals and brutalist guitar attack, In Disgust We Trust is palpably seething with genuine discontent throughout. Hardcore punk is a huge part of this record, both in the barely coherent aggro of songs like "F*****g F**k" and "Happily Ever Disaster" and in the edge of hysteria evident even on tracks like the sludgy nine-minute instrumental "Shovel." An album acceptable both to the punky grindcore crowd and the British metal purist, In Disgust We Trust isn't always an easy listen, but it's an impassioned, enraged document that lives up to its title.