With strong influences from classical punk artists, Toronto-based Noise Rock band METZ exploded into 2015 with their sophomore effort METZ II.

METZ

METZ II

Sub Pop; 2015
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It would be easier to compare the thrashing guitars and pulsing drums to a wall of noise suffocating the listener, surrounding frontman Alex Edkins as he bellows and screams his lyrics from the center of a storm.

From the beginning of the album, starting with “Acetate” Metz hold nothing back, driving forward with beautifully orchestrated noise pollution that will aid little in the fight against hearing damage, but it comes as a worthy sacrifice upon a single listen to METZ II.

There is little time for break, as every second is filled with one blazing guitar riff after another, while drums pound against your ears.

In terms of lyrics, though hard to hear as they may be, it’s not without reason. Edkins’ screams mirror the instrumental style with lyrics focused on anger and being drowned out.

The climax of the album is reached with grand proportions on the final track, named “Kicking a Can of Worms,” as it escalates into a numbing cacophony that leaves the album concluding with a mess of distortion. As the increasingly blaring guitars and drums assault your eardrums, lyrics scream “Let Go.” Whilst slowly being drowned out by the rising storm of noise. It’s hard to distinguish much of anything as nothing but distortion fills the ending of the track. A warning to those with sensitive eardrums or poor speakers, it gets very loud here.

METZ II simply feels right from beginning to end. It’s well executed and marks another significant notch on the belt of METZ for a hopefully long career. Certainly, it lives up to the expectations of their debut and brings the same quality and style, however not much has changed in the span of the two albums. There is little creative experimentation happening in METZ II, as there is little to find that we haven’t seen in the previous METZ album. This isn’t a bad thing, as fans of Punk will certainly enjoy another taste of what the band has to offer. “Kicking a Can Of Worms” stands out as a fresh attempt at something new, but sadly comes only at the end of the album. Hopefully, it is an indication of more experimentation in the future; using the same perfected method will certainly become dry after a few albums.