A continuous mix hellbent on turning your brain into salad through the easy access point of your ears, Pulling Teeth's Martyr Immortal (Deathwish) is the kind of record that takes you behind Ottobar, smashes your face into a car hood a few times to make its point, and then gives you a ride home because, hey, you fought out whatever issues you had, and now it's squashed. You might be bleeding after all is said and done, but the point is to let bygones be bygones and get on with it.

This is boss Baltimore hardcore. If you can't take the punishing breakdowns, venom-punk vocals ("Dead Is Dead"), and the thrash riffs ("Basically Dead"), maybe you should go back to your basement and listen to more of your happy-go-lucky pop records.  Taking a page from Earth Crisis on "Dead Is Dead" and going on a tear about chemically tainted food, PT also spends considerable effort detailing human overconsumption on "With Avarice" and spewing fire at all the right people on "Stonethrowers".  When Mike Riley rhetorically spits "What are you so afraid of?" into the mic, those stonethrowers will look inward and see the fears Riley is talking about.

The title track fades into the more diverse instrumental "Mori Vincent Omnes", Latin for 'death conquers all'. This inscription can be found on a tombstone in an overgrown cemetery in Havre de Grace (don't believe me? Read Weird Maryland or visit acurse.com), and the song gracefully slows down the unremitting fury of the first two-thirds of Martyr Immortal to a tuneful, yet hefty, blast of brilliance.

Inexorably tied to the seedy and prosaic manner of living here in Charm City, Pulling Teeth have issued 25:49 of killer music that sets the bar for what's to follow from Baltimore's hardcore scene. This late 2007 release shall be the benchmark by which other releases are to be compared throughout 2008.

If you missed this weekend's show at Charm City Art Space, you might not see the band until their Talking Head show on May 17, as they are embarking on an international tour including Japan (!!!) and Canada:

03/07: Wilmington, DE @ Mojo 13
03/08: East Stroudsburg, PA @ Penn Monster Factory w/ Wisdom In Chains
03/28: Richmond, VA @ CFO Pavillion United Blood Festival
03/29: Evansville, IN @ Club 1123
03/30: Birmingham, AL @ Cave 9
04/01: Austin, TX @ Emo's
04/02: San Antonio, TX @ The Crossing
04/03: Roswell, NM @ The Unity Center
04/04: Denver, CO @ The Underground
04/05: Albuquerque, NM @ Moonlight Lounge
04/06: Tucson, AZ @ Gnarwal House
04/07: Tijuana, MX @ Kimbara Bar
04/08: Ventura, CA @ Mai's Cafe
04/09: Los Angeles, CA @ Cobalt Cafe
04/11: Tokyo, Japan @ Earthdom
04/12: Gunma, Japan @ BBC Club
04/13: Kyoto, Japan @ Whoopees
04/18: Osaka, Japan @ Pipe 69
04/19: Nagoya, Japan @ Huckfinn
04/20: Tokyo, Japan @ Matchvox
04/22: Isla Vista, CA @ The Biko
04/23: Santa Cruz, CA @ 418 Project w/ Circles
04/24: Reno, NV @ The Headquarters w/ Circles
04/25: Berkeley, CA @ Gilman w/ Circles
04/26: Redding, CA @ Caldwell Rec Ctr.
04/27: Portland, OR @ Satyricon w/ Circles
04/28: Tacoma, WA @ Viaduct w/ Circles
04/29: Vancouver, BC @ La Casa Del Artista w/ Circles
05/01: Calgary, AB @ Calgary Rehab Ctr.
05/02: Edmonton, AB @ Grosvenor Hall
05/03: Regina, SK @ The Exchange
05/04: Winnipeg, MB @ Label Gallery
05/05: Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock
05/06: Milwaukee, WI @ The Borg Ward
05/07: Chicago, IL @ Reggies Rock Club
05/08: Romeo, MI @ Static Age
05/09: Pittsburgh, PA @ Roboto Project
05/10: York, PA @ Andy's Basement
05/17: Baltimore, MD @ Talking Head

Tags: Album Reviews, Baltimore, Charm City Art Space, Hardcore, New Releases, Ottobar, Pulling Teeth, Talking Head Club, Thrash, Tour Dates