Fenriz once said, "There is nothing worse than an overqualified drummer." Some might take this to mean that any music, even music slapped together, is just as valid as something more thought out. This is true depending on one's taste, but I always thought that he meant that songwriters that stretch the limits of their capabilities create more interesting music than those with knowledge of music theory.
It's an interesting concept and, when applied to rock music, it makes a lot of sense. Bands like Teenage Jesus and the Jerks and Charles Bronson gained a serious edge because of their amateurism. When applied to noise, however, flies right out the window. Because noise all sounds somewhat similar and requires very little skill, all noise bands are on a very even playing field. That makes reviewing noise bands somewhat difficult to review.
With that said, I can say with complete conviction that Ether Junkie, the debut album by Scab Addict, is a very good album. Combining raw noise with powerviolence, the album is in tribute to Japanese cyberpunk, noir film Rubber's Lover. Noiseviolence is not a new thing, but what sets this project apart from other bands out there is its catchiness. Each song, although buried in layers of feedback, are fully realized. I actually walked away humming some of the basslines. "Clamp the Eyes Open" is definitely an earworm.
I also liked the albums production. It's shitty like one would expect for this album but the drums are fantastic. It sounds like a crazed junkie banging on a trash can.
This album is highly recommended.
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