BitterJalapeno Chat Pile is an Oklahoma based noise rock/sludge metal quartet who's debut studio album "God’s Country" became available to the masses in the summer of 2022 after having been the subject of much hype in alternative music circles. After the initial listen, one feels like a corkscrew has been inserted into each ear and violently twisted. What has one just experienced? The answer is a savage and exasperated assault on a broken western society, transported to the ear canals with unprecedented levels of rage. While lyrical content concerning the failings of society is a well-trodden path with each new endeavour having potential to project yet another rehashed and redundant message, God’s Country does anything but.

You might ask what prevented God’s Country from falling into the rehash trap. It all comes down to the earnestness with which the message is delivered – no generic “fuck the government” material can be found here. Vocalist Raygun Busch launches a wide-ranged and carefully calculated attack on several aspects of modern American society which is both unapologetically scathing and depressingly accurate with its content. Amongst the themes of homelessness, mass meat production and the disgraceful condition of the environment are pockets of truly harrowing material in relation to the ongoing mental health crisis but rather than giving off the impression of wallowing, the overall message is one of downright rage, giving the record authenticity and ultimately, lyrical relevance.

While there is nothing overly complex musically speaking, the genre-fusion on offer here more than compensates for those who crave something less simplistic. Ferocious sludge and noise rock form the base of the musical palate, supported by touches of post-hardcore and the occasional groove-laden, angular nu-metal passage. The heavier portions of the musical fabric are juxtaposed by the inclusion of gothic and 80s post-punk elements which add a sense of gloom and if that wasn’t enough, the whole experience is shrouded in a cold industrial atmosphere.

A grotesque and blood-curdling release, God’s Country brings something new to the party without straying too far from its sludge roots. Unique yet familiar, harrowing yet humbling, Chat Pile have produced something truly special.