Elizabeth Colour Wheel opened for Fórn roughly a year ago in Brooklyn and it was stunning. It was immediately one of the most impressive and terrifying performances of my life. I was floored by how they fused numerous genres with ease. They combine everything from doom and grindcore to post-punk and harsh noise. Elizabeth Colour Wheel radiate intensity. They began at Berkeley College during their refining early days and bloomed into something grandiose and powerful. Consequently, their first full-length album, Nocebo, is a testament to all that is heavy, beautiful, and twisted.
This full-length debut is forward-thinking heavy music at its finest—bombastic but it still retains its DIY edge. Making for action-packed destructive music that pulverizes skulls. Nocebo showcases all the band has accomplished in a very brief time. It's a stunning listen right from the opening moments of "Pink Palm." Lane Shi's scream offers something so purely powerful and in many ways sonically unique and just a single part of record that pushes far beyond any expectation of what the band might be capable of. It nicely captures their live performance's sense of controlled chaos. Elizabeth Colour Wheel teeters on the cusp of something great—something which constantly demands listeners' full attention.
Nocebo stuns in its immaculate conception. Elizabeth Colour Wheel thrive where potent and perfected guitar tones lurk under tortured vocals. One might normally think that fusing a litany of genres like this is a recipe for overambitious disaster. Yet, the band pulls it off. The execution on every song is near perfect, without any dragging moments. Even a track like "Bedrest"—whose dark ambient musings are fascinating—feels like it is perfectly placed. Digging through this record feels like journeying through a forgotten landscape.
Some moments are beautiful, others are brutal. Through it all though it is a delight to adventure in. The emotional power of these songs is fascinating. Years of torment and anguish seem to drag the listener down, just as driving punk rock grooves act as a kick back into reality. It's clear that these guys are fucking good at what they do, yet it never comes off as pretentious. Rather than mucking around with prog metal elements like so many of their Berkeley peers, the punk house smear never quite wipes off the band. They continue to grow and fascinate, speaking to a larger than life sense of sonic poetry. The devout fan of heavy music is going to find a lot to sink their teeth into. This is a band who make just as much sense opening for The Cure as they do Napalm Death.
In short: this is an absolute crusher. Nocebo showcases a variety of weird sounds fused into one potent combination. It's a record that speaks to the musicians' talent, personalities, and training. Few records in 2019 seem to embody the modern state of punk rock as well as this one. While at times Elizabeth Colour Wheel can feel scary, at others they are comforting. There is a clear intent behind it all and the album's flow was clearly a serious consideration here. What we have here is an album that wants to continually push for new heights. To search for new vistas and to prove that otherworldly combinations of heavy music can remain powerful, fascinating and virile.
Sure, there are dense moments. If listeners aren't heavily invested into this world they probably won't get the fall in love with the grinding madness that comes on a track like "34th." There's a high bar of entry. But then this record probably isn't really for them. This is a record that brings people face to face with their own humanity. With the potential to change the face of punk rock, Elizabeth Colour Wheel is the forward-thinking music we need in 2019. Nocebo is a truly impressive statement. This is the band who make years of squatting in punk houses feel worth it. They are the validating force behind every artsy punk rock band who never did anything. Nocebo crushes all comers; get ready.
Score: 9.5/10
Pick up Nocebo from The Flenser now.
