- Devastating industrial techno from the former Napalm Death member Mick Harris.
- Justin Broadrick isn't the only Napalm Death alumnus coughing up killer beats. Mick Harris, who dusted off his Fret alias two years ago (it had lain dormant since 1995), is also on a tear, having dropped a sprawling album on Karlrecords in 2017 and now this, his second 12-inch for L.I.E.S. The EP features four slabs of industrial techno that bury fidgety beats under mountains of reverb, beastly roars and grimy decay.
Harris's roots in extreme metal and crust punk can be detected in the filthy percussion splattered across "Pirates," while his forays into darkly experimental hip-hop and dub as cofounder of Scorn inform the rafters-shaking syncopation that anchors "Slowly Moving In." The music is massive, unsettling and ferocious. Yet what ultimately pushes the EP over the top is jut how effortlessly it swings.
Industrial techno is littered with plodding brooders who lack Harris's gift for marrying devastating heaviness with energetic, meticulously arranged rhythms. The drum & bass-flavored "Walking With Cameras" is a thrilling example: every blown-out element, from the slightly off-balance kicks to the drum corps-style toms and chilly waves of white noise, lock together to create a startlingly kinetic groove. Harris has kept a low profile for most of this decade, but the successful rejuvenation of his Fret project indicates that the legendary Brummie has a lot more music in him.
TracklistA1 Slowly Moving In
A2 The Hill
B1 Pirates
B2 Walking With Cameras