Two years ago, a little noisy sludge band from Oklahoma dropped one of the most vicious albums of 2022. Yes, Chat Pile, which takes its namesake from the legions of corroded and rejected toxic sludge piles that dominate the American Tri-State area countryside, had lots of live up to after the release of 2022’s God’s Country, and now we have the follow-up, Cool World. This new album, which somewhat refines the heavier-than-a-blackhole hardcore Chat Pile has produced, is just as bloodthirsty and malignant. Raygun Busch’s vocals no longer just lacerate but beat you to a pulp like a hammer in a gross-out snuff film. The riffs are twisting and contorting, making you feel queasy and unbalanced, while the rhythm section is tight and thunderous, like a torrential storm that laughs as it destroys the nearby village.
Just on the bass guitar tones alone from Chat Pile member, Stin, it might be some of the best-sounding riffery I’ve ever heard. It holds the songs together like some kind of globulous beast and cuts through at every second. I mean, that outro breakdown in « Camcorder, » is absolutely disgusting. That bass tone being the instrument that always cuts through is also one aspect I clocked immediately when I saw Chat Pile live last year. They are a band who understand what needs to be heard clearly, to put you into their worlds of vile delirium.
To be completely honest, I’ve been putting off reviewing this album because I knew it would put me in a foul mood. Not because of it being subpar, you understand, but because Chat Pile has a way of taking the most cavernous and worst parts of humanity’s souls and displaying them like some kind of malformed creature, one we all want to avoid.
On God’s Country, the songs felt very personal, and they still do, but now, Busch is singing about the world’s continuous misfortunes. For example, it’s hard to not think about the terrible situation in Gaza and the Ukraine while listening to a song like « Shame, » and this is clearly the point. A track like « Tape, » which feels like a depraved confession about the horrifying things man has continued to do since we discovered sticks can be used as weapons, is also thematically a tough listen. During my last listen to « The Milk of Human Kindness, » I felt dazed and sick to my stomach. Yes, like God’s Country, Cool World will always make me feel trainsick, but it’s a batch of songs I’ll most likely continue to revisit. Why? Because sometimes you want to pick at the blistering sore just to feel something. As the outro of « Masc » screams « Cut Me Open / Trust and Bleed »… Sometimes it’s good to be reminded that things can be and are so much worse.
