Fugazi – In On The Killtaker

In on the Kill Taker is like scrubbing your face with steel wool. It finds the band relying on rusty guitar shards that scrape, seethe, and hiss, further removing itself from the sound of 13 Songs and Repeater. Harsh and grating, Fugazi surprisingly produces sheer noise at times, best witnessed in the lengthy closing of "23 Beats Off" and the unintentional Gremlins homage that opens "Walken's Syndrome." Joe Lally's bass and Brendan Canty's drums are relegated to acting as a guide; they're pushed - but not squashed - down in the mix, allowing for Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto's guitars to take control, corrosively so. It's probably Fugazi's least digestible record from front to back, but each track has it's own attractive qualities, even if not immediately perceptible. Tracklisting: A1 Facet Squared A2 Public Witness Program A3 Returning The Screw A4 Smallpox Champion A5 Rend It A6 23 Beats Off B1 Sweet And Low B2 Cassavetes B3 Great Cop B4 Walken's Syndrome B5 Instrument B6 Last Chance For A Slow Dance