Prisons – EP [2015; self-released]

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On their only EP (and only release at all, aside from the Sun Factory single), the Swedish group Prisons offer up an odd but stimulating blend of metal, electronics, art punk, and jazz, washing the diverse elements together in creatively unpredictable ways, while keeping it from tipping over into an unlistenable mess.  Hard-edged guitars and background LFO tones, shouts and clean strings, bass-lines and feedback, and so on, all get mixed together in (mostly) aggressive but consistently stylish arrangements.  With the talent on display, it’s more than a little regrettable that this was essentially the only full release from the group, but despite that lack of follow-up, it’s one worth seeking out

Grass – EP [2010; self-released]

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With their debut EP, the Pennsylvania group of Grass turn out an uncommon blend of stoner rock and death metal, steering clear of the usual sludge cross-over points in favor of trading off between crunchy and noodly guitar riffs while bellowing the lyrics.  The drums and bass get minor spotlighting in comparison, and while there’s some interesting detours in the five songs, their main drives end up feeling fairly uninspired, and definitely mismatched to the tone of the cover art.  A curious experiment, but not worth hunting down.